Turned Upside Down
by SamJayandHolyMae
Summary: Starts on Season Six, Episode Nine: The Doctor in the Photo. Every time I see this episode, I get so mad at Booth. Last time around, this story developed. Thought I'd share its beginnings with y'all. No worries, Booth and Brennan will (eventually) end up together. Written by HolyMae.
1. Chapter 1

**TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 9: The Doctor in the Photo**

" _I made a mistake."_

" _Nah, I told you my opinion, I mean, you got it right."_

" _Not everything. She died with regrets."_

" _Come on, Bones, everybody has regrets."_

" _I heard her, you know? Micah says that all we get are these…dim, staticky messages from the universe."_

" _Who's this Micah guy?"_

" _The night watchman, but he attends a lot of lectures. Anyway, the point is … she never gave him a chance."_

" _Micah."_

" _No, no, the helicopter pilot. He offered himself to her, but she never gave him a chance. That was her regret. I got the signal, Booth. I don't wanna have any regrets."_

" _Um, I'm with someone, Bones. And, uh, Hannah? She's not a consolation prize. I love her. You know, the last thing I wanna do is hurt you, but those are the facts."_

" _I understand. I missed my chance. My whole world turned upside down. I can adjust."_

" _I did."_

" _Yes, you did."_

" _Do you, uh, want me to call someone?"_

" _No. I'm fine. Alone."_

The problem was she wasn't fine. And she didn't want to be alone. Closing her eyes as the hot water streamed down her face and body, washing away the residue of body wash, she tried to get her chaotic feelings in check but it wasn't as easy as it once had been.

Turning off the shower, she grabbed a towel as soon as she stepped out, drying herself before wrapping it around her wet hair. Looking over at the clock beside the bed, she saw it was just twenty after four in the morning.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she began to change into jeans and a long sleeve top, quickly blow drying her hair before she put on socks and low heeled boots. She didn't want to be alone, didn't want to dwell in the swirling emotions she was feeling.

Right now, all she wanted to do was find something to occupy her mind.

* * *

 _Friday  
_  
She didn't know how she'd ended up here. Her intention had been to go to the lab and get the paperwork done to close the Eames case. Instead, she stood just outside the door of the hospital's roof, where the heli-pad was located, holding two cups of black coffee.

She watched as the post-flight check was completed, Chris Markham reporting off to the incoming helicopter pilot. She attempted a smile when he looked her way, taking a few steps towards him as he picked up his duffel bag and headed her way. They stared at each other in awkward silence before Brennan handed him one of the cups she held, "Are you…available to talk?"

"Yes," Chris smiled as he took the cup, gesturing towards a far off corner of the heli-pad where they could be out of the way, "Did you find out what happened to Lauren?"

Nodding, she sat down at the edge of the bench, keeping her body angled so she could see his face, "It was…an accident."

"An accident?"

Looking down at her cup, she nodded again, taking a sip of her coffee before continuing, "She went to Woodland, to talk to the family of a brain dead boy. She tried to convince them to donate his heart to one of her patients…they said no."

He took a sip of his own coffee, his shoulders dropping as he looked out at the city spread out below them, "She couldn't deal with the rejection so she did something stupid, didn't she?"

"Yes," leaning forward, she rested her elbows against her thighs, holding the warm cup between her hands, "She bought heroin –for the thrill of it, so she could feel something. She put it in her pocket –she didn't buy it to use it. She got hit by a car –fractured her skull on one of those reflective traffic markers. The driver panicked, buried her under the tree."

Chris let out a sigh as he leaned back into the bench, resting his cup on his thigh as he stared unseeing at the still helicopter, "I would have been good for her…I really would have."

"She knew that."

There was something in the way that was said that got Chris' attention, his dark brown eyes focusing on her for the first time, "You remind me a lot of her…"

"I'm not her," she whispered as she sat back, setting her coffee aside.

"No, you're not," Chris gave her a sad smile as he studied her face, "But you're very similar. Lauren was driven, dedicated, intense…brilliant. You seem to have those same qualities."

Letting out a soft chuckle, she nodded as she stretched out her legs, crossing her booted feet at the ankles, "I think…it's why I had a hard time being objective with this case. There were so many similarities and I just…I couldn't differentiate between her and I. I started wondering if –if I kept holding myself back, keeping myself from feeling…anything, if I would end up like Lauren…alone, fading from existence, becoming a memory that would eventually disappear."

"I thought about her every single day," Chris clasped his hands over his flat stomach, "I still do."

Letting out a sigh, she stared out at the horizon, a slight breeze playing with her hair, the sun warm against the back of her head, "She died with regrets…I didn't want to have any regrets so…I told him –that I made a mistake."

Nodding, he leaned forward, hands still clasped, elbows resting on his thighs as he looked over at her, "That agent you work with?"

She nodded, not looking at him, "He's with someone else. I missed my chance."

"How are you dealing with the rejection?"

"I'm here," she quietly pointed out, reaching up to move her sunglasses from the top of her head as the sun kept climbing the sky, "Talking about it. I feel…sad."

"That's better than not feeling anything."

Brennan nodded in agreement, a sad smile on her face, "Yeah."

They sat in companionable silence, the warmth of the rising sun touching their exposed skin and the breeze keeping them comfortable as the temperature slowly increased. Sitting back, Chris looked over at Brennan, quietly watching as she stared out into the horizon, a small smile appearing on his face when she looked over at him, "I was planning on getting some breakfast before heading home. Would you like to join me?"

Before she could answer, the ding of an incoming text sounded from the pocket of her dark coat. Pulling out her phone, she saw the text was from Booth, her thumb hovering over the text icon for a couple of seconds before she slipped it back into her pocket without reading it.

"Need to be somewhere?"

"No," she shook her head, standing along with him as they both picked up their half empty cups, Chris shouldering his duffel bag as Brennan accepted his invitation, "Breakfast sounds good."

* * *

 _Saturday_

Booth let out a sigh as he set his phone aside, rubbing his face with one hand before running his fingers through his hair. It had been three days since that night and he hadn't heard from or seen Bones since then. He'd texted her the morning after, to make sure she was okay, but she hadn't replied. Now, his calls were going straight to voicemail. He wondered if she had buried herself in Limbo, getting lost in her work, which was her go to solution whenever she struggled with the emotional stuff in life.

"What's wrong, Seeley?"

He looked up as Hannah came into the kitchen, wearing a pair of shorts and one of his work shirts, hair falling down her shoulders in messy waves, "Bones. I haven't heard from her these last three days. The Eames case was a hard one for her and I'm worried."

"I'm sure she's okay," Hannah poured herself a cup of coffee, moving to sit across the table from him; "She's a tough girl."

"Not really," Booth gave her a smile, grasping her ankle as soon as she lifted her legs to settle them across his lap, "She talks a tough game but Bones is all heart underneath."

Hannah didn't give a response. She sipped her coffee, studying Booth's face over the rim of her cup while he stared out the window. As the minutes ticked by in silence, she let her mind drift to the article she was currently working on.

Booth, on the other hand, was struggling with the heavy guilt weighing on him. He had hurt his best friend, and now he was keeping a secret from the woman he loved. He wasn't sure what to tell Hannah about Bones' revelation, or even if he should.

One thing at a time, though. First, he needed to touch base with Bones and make sure she was okay…he'll give her one more day before he broke through her self-imposed solitude.

* * *

 _Sunday  
Grand Canyon, Arizona_

"Thank you for inviting me along," Brennan stared out towards the horizon, comfortably seated in a camping chair with a glass of iced tea in one hand as she watched the changing colors of the sky and canyon rocks, "I've never seen a sunset like this before."

"This was going to be our first date, Lauren and I," Chris sat in a similar chair to her left, ankles crossed and body slouched comfortably as he watched the show nature was putting on for them, "She turned me down when I asked her out –every time."

Adjusting her sunglasses, she took a sip of her iced tea before looking over at Chris, "Tell me about the first time you met her."

Chris smiled, keeping his eyes on the horizon as he shared his favorite memory, "I got called into DC Memorial to pick up a cardiologist, along with a donor heart, and fly them up to New Hampshire. I was sitting in the cockpit, rotors still spinning, when she burst out onto the roof. She was wearing four inch heels and a dress that hugged her all the way down to her knees, and yet, I've never seen anyone move faster than her. I remember thinking there was no way she was going to be able to climb in with the dress she was wearing, but before I could undo my harness to get out and help her, she took her shoes off and tossed them into the helicopter, then hiked her skirt up high and climbed in, all the while yelling at me to get us up in the air."

Brennan rubbed a hand against her chest, her heart aching a bit at the warmth to his voice as he continued speaking, "I was in awe of her. For the first few months after that day, I admired her from afar, thinking she was too good for me –definitely way out of my league. I remember this one day I picked her up –she'd successfully completed a heart transplant on a five year old in Rhode Island. The smile on her face…god, she was beautiful. I asked her out a week later –she said no."

They sat in silence, watching the sun paint the bright blue sky in streaks of gold and pink, as well as splashes of deep red and bright orange, all the while causing the quartz embedded along the canyon walls to sparkle like diamond dust.

"What about the first day you met your partner?"

"Booth," Brennan smiled as she dropped her head back to rest against the canvas backing of the camping chair, settling the cold glass in the built in cup holder before drying her hand on her jeans, "I was teaching a course at American University. He came in towards the end of my lecture. He needed help with a cold case and I was his last option. He asked me if I believed in fate –I said no."

"What about now?"

Chuckling, she let her head fall to the side to be able to see him, "The concept of fate is ludicrous. Life is what we make of it. Our choices, and the consequences that come with them, are what shape our lives. To give credit to something as nebulous and undefined as fate for what happens in life is to negate our responsibility to ourselves and others."

Chris bit back a smile, turning to look at the horizon, watching as a condor flew in lazy circles, "That's a well thought out argument against fate."

"Of course," Brennan watched him with narrowed eyes, wondering if he was mocking her, "I never say anything without thinking it through."

"A good rule to live by," Chris gave her a sincere smile, his dark brown eyes sparkling as the sun lit up their little corner before sinking behind the rock walls, "Lauren had a similar notion. She would say life is what you make of it, not what it makes of you."

Tilting her head, she thought the words over, giving a slight nod in agreement, "Makes sense."

"And yet, the hardships that come with life had her close herself to the point of not feeling," Chris closed his eyes, able to clearly visualize Lauren's face, the way her smile would make her blue eyes shine, "At first, when she lost a patient, I was able to get her to smile by the time I had her back at DC Memorial. I would ask her out and she would let go of the hurt and guilt and smile before telling me no. I once told her I wouldn't give up, that I would keep asking. She told me her greatest fear was me giving up on her."

Brennan didn't say anything; she just sat beside him in silence, both of them watching the sky turn into a deep blue as the sun slipped further under the horizon.

* * *

 _Monday_

"Hey, Bones," Booth spoke loud enough to be heard across the lab as he headed towards his partner's office, "How about we have lunch at Si –"

He stopped at the threshold of the dark and empty office, eyebrows lowering as he noticed she hadn't been there since last week.

Turning, he looked over at the platform, noticing a couple of the squinterns were hard at work, but no Bones in sight. Looking up at the open concept breakroom, he called out as he headed towards the stairs, "Hey Bones! I'm starving."

"Booth," Cam walked out of her office, placing her hands on her hips as she gave him a look of exasperation, "Why are you yelling in my lab?"

"Just looking for Bones to take her to lunch."

Cam tilted her head, eyes quizzical as she stared at him, "Dr. Brennan asked for a week off. She struggled throughout the Eames case so I went ahead and gave it to her. Didn't she tell you?"

Booth stood at the base of the stairs, his chest feeling tight as he rubbed the back of his neck, "No, she didn't…the whole week?"

"Yes," Cam crossed her arms over her chest, "She said she'll be back on Monday."

"What if we get a case?"

"She's assigned Mr. Bray to go out into the field with you," dropping her arms, she gave him a pointed look, "Whatever's going on with her, Seeley, I hope you pay better attention this time around."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Shaking her head, she turned to head back to her office, rolling her eyes when he followed behind her, "If I have to explain it to you, Seeley, then there's no hope for you at all."

"Look, Camille, if you've got something to say, just get it off your chest. I don't like all this cryptic talk, and you well know it."

Letting out a sigh, she stood behind her desk, leaning forward as she placed her hands flat on the surface, looking over at him, "Do you remember what I told you, at the Founding Fathers that day, not long after your brain surgery?"

Booth stared at her, thinking back, but the days leading up to and even some of the events weeks after the surgery, tended to blur and meld together, "Refresh my memory, will you?"

"You said you were in love with Dr. Brennan," Cam moved to sit in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, "And I told you to be sure before you approached her with your feelings. I don't know what happened, but I know you opened your big mouth before you were sure, which is why you two ended up at opposite ends of the world."

"She didn't feel the same way for me," Booth shoved his hands into his pockets, fingering the poker chip he kept as a reminder of his sobriety; "I had to move on."

"Seven months, Booth," Cam turned her body to face the computer, done with the conversation, "You showed Dr. Brennan that all it takes is seven months to move on from one person to the next, thus proving her theory love is nothing but brain chemistry."

* * *

 _Tuesday  
Luray, Virginia_

The silence was heavy, the echo of their footsteps loud in the cavernous chamber they walked through. Brennan stared at her surroundings in complete wonder, her hand on the rail the only thing serving as a guide as they walked the path leading deeper into the caves, "This is beautiful…I can't believe I've never been here before."

Chris smiled as he walked beside her, his hands in the pockets of his dark green cargo pants, "Lauren once told me she loved exploring caves on her free time when she was in college. She stopped doing it during med school because she didn't have the time."

"She did choose an extremely competitive discipline," she looked over at him, smiling at the look of wonder on his face as he studied the stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the many other unusual but beautiful rock formations, "Complete and total dedication is the only way to become the best."

"I agree. However," Chris looked sideways at her, cocking an eyebrow as they turned a corner, "Balance is necessary to be able to keep being the best."

Chuckling, Brennan stopped to look down, amazed at the depth of the caverns, "I can't argue with that."

He stood next to her, staring up –they'd traveled at least two miles down and the view above was just as amazing as the one below, "I discovered this place about a year ago. I thought of bringing Lauren here –I know she would have enjoyed it."

"I'm sure she would have," moving away from the railing, they continued their slow progress, the air growing thinner the farther down they went, "I definitely am."

"Now, I take you for being the adventuresome type," Chris' smile spread into a grin as he motioned towards a platform to their left, a couple of park rangers waiting, "So I arranged for us to abseil the rest of the way down. You game?"

Laughing as she followed behind him, she pulled a tie from the pocket of her jeans, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as they reached the park rangers, "Last one down buys dinner."

"Deal."

* * *

 _Wednesday_

"Bones! Come on, open the door," Booth knocked on the door a little harder, his shoulder propped against the door frame as he listened for any movement within the apartment, "I've got coffee."

There was no response, and although he knew the key she'd given him was for emergencies, he decided to use it. For all he knew, she was unconscious inside her apartment and in need of help. He entered on silent feet, setting the cup carrier on the breakfast bar as he looked around the open floor apartment.

He noticed the half full coffee pot sitting on the coffee machine, the kitchen neat and tidy except for one mug in the sink. Moving further into the apartment, he saw the little things that let him know she was coming home at night then leaving in the morning. She was outright avoiding him, and although he knew it shouldn't hurt, it did.

Peeking into her bedroom, he noticed the neatly made bed, a pair of knee high boots beside her dresser, and a sweater neatly draped over a chair. Heading back into the kitchen, he quickly penned a note on the pad she kept beside the phone and propped it up against the cup of coffee he had brought her, taking the other one with him as he let himself out of her apartment, locking the door behind him.

Pulling his phone out of the pocket of his coat, he sent her a quick text, letting her know he'd stopped by and he missed her. He pressed send without thinking then realized telling her how he was feeling wasn't probably the best thing, not after the way he'd hurt her.

He closed his eyes as the memory of her crying beside him, the rain outside the moving SUV doing nothing to cover up her soft sobs, stabbed at him, making him grimace as he exited the building. In the six years he'd known her, he'd seen her cry…

He stood still, coffee cup in hand, as he realized he'd never seen her cry. He'd witnessed her sad little girl look many times, had held her when she needed comfort, but he'd never seen or heard her cry, not until that night. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath, wondering what he was going to do to fix this mess.

He couldn't lose his best friend –no matter what was going on in his life, he wasn't willing to lose Bones.

* * *

 _Thursday  
The Virginia Creeper Trail_

Brennan's laughter was unrestrained as she crested the hill, enjoying the smell of fall in the air, the trees on either side of the bike trail brilliantly displayed in rich colors, the occasional deep green visible among the many yellow, red, orange and brown leaves.

"Okay, we need to stop," Chris panted as he crested the hill behind her, a grin on his own face, "I need a breather."

"Oh, come on," Brennan teased as she slowed down, looking over her shoulder to give him a smile, "We're barely fifteen miles in."

"Yeah, and the last five were uphill," Chris stopped, spreading his legs wide to keep his bike balanced, "We've still got twenty miles to go so we could take it easy for a while, don't you think?"

Playfully rolling her eyes at him, she stopped and got off her bike, removing her bright blue helmet and hanging it on the handlebars as Chris caught up to her, having done the same, "I guess we can walk a bit to cool off."

"You're merciless," Chris bumped his shoulder against hers, "Do you always throw yourself completely into whatever you do?"

"Yes," pushing her bike beside her, she kept her eyes on the colorful vista before them, ignoring the slight twinges of pain running up her calves, "I don't know how…to do anything halfway."

Nodding, he shook his legs, his thigh muscles burning from the hard pedaling uphill they had done, "It doesn't exhaust you, giving everything of yourself?"

Turning to look at him, she chewed on her bottom lip before shaking her head, "No. When it comes to work or a hobby, throwing myself into it without holding back will always give me the results I expect. When it involves another person…it becomes an unknown quantity, one I cannot predict or control, which frightens me. I realize now it's the reason why I never committed to a relationship."

"What were you expecting when you shared your feelings with Booth?"

Her eyes dropped down to her feet, her nose burning as she fought back the sudden need to cry. She hadn't seen Booth since that night, and even though she'd listened to his dozen voicemails and read his dozen texts, not to mention the coffee and note he'd left in her apartment yesterday, she still wasn't sure if she could face him yet, "I…I honestly thought…he told me many times before, that he loved Hannah and that they were serious, but I…I let myself hope that he –that he would love me more. I didn't set out to break them apart or to hurt Hannah, but a small part of me thought he would pick me."

He reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, "Rejection is much more painful when hope is involved."

She let a sad little chuckle escape, nodding as she blinked away the tears, eyes on the light blue sky above them, "I haven't seen him since that night or spoken to him. I just…I don't know if I can… be like before."

"You need to ask yourself this," Chris kept her hand in his as they continued walking in the middle of the leaf strewn trail, both of them pushing their bikes with their free hands, "Can you see your life without Booth? Whether he's a friend, a partner, or whatever capacity he's willing to fulfill?"

She gave his question serious thought, her chest hurting and her stomach fluttering uncomfortably at the idea of never seeing Booth again, "No, I can't. I've been avoiding him, I know, it's just…I need the time and space to get myself together, to properly compartmentalize all these…feelings inside me. I haven't felt this emotionally out of control since…since the Christmas my parents abandoned me and my brother."

Chris nodded, having already learned some of the important details regarding Brennan's past, and gave her hand another comforting squeeze, "I'm glad you're able to deal with the pain instead of pushing it away –that was always Lauren's problem. She never let herself feel the disappointment that came with the loss of a life…and as such, she never let herself feel the joy of life."

She let go of his hand, placing the biking helmet back on before swinging her leg over the bike, Chris doing the same, "It's been a slow process but I've learned that very lesson having Booth in my life. Before he came along, I…I saw everything in black and white, I compartmentalized my feelings and avoided relationships outside of work. Any interactions I had with the opposite sex were purely to satisfy biological urges. When I met Booth…I was attracted to him –his physical attributes were pleasing and there was obvious chemistry between us. Even the verbal interaction…it was stimulating."

They pedaled slowly through the piles of autumn colored leaves, the breeze lifting them into a slow graceful dance before dropping them again.

"When did it become more than just…stimulating?'

His question startled her as it brought her back from that night long ago. Blinking back tears she hadn't been aware were forming, she looked over at Chris, her bicycle wavering slightly before she straightened it, "He approached me about a case…that's how we met. We danced around each other –the mutual attraction was obvious, even to me. A couple of days after, we met up at a bar one night, got to drinking tequila. He fired me for punching a judge, I propositioned him, and on our way out to get a cab, he kissed me…my entire life shifted right then and there. It scared me so much, I took off in the cab alone, and then proceeded to push him away."

She slowed her peddling as they rounded a bend on the trail, the sunlight falling across her face having her pulling her sunglasses from the collar of her shirt and slipping them on, "That lasted for a year, where he tried to get a hold of me and failed. He forced himself back into my life by having Homeland Security hold me for questioning on a return trip from Guatemala, then dangled a case he knew I wouldn't be able to say no to."

She saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye, "What?"

Giving her a smile tinged with sadness and regret, he picked up the speed, but not before sharing what he was feeling, "I was just thinking, if I had done with Lauren as Booth did with you, maybe she would still be alive today."

* * *

 _Friday_

"Hey, Angela," Booth strolled into the artist's office, flipping his sobriety chip in the air in an act of nonchalance, "How's it going?"

Angela grinned as she swiveled her desk chair, stretching out her legs and resting her hands on her slightly rounded stomach, "It's been quiet around here. Haven't seen you in days, Booth –where have you been?"

"Oh, you know," Booth walked around the large office, stopping now and then to study a painting or sculpture, "Meetings and work –got caught up on paperwork. How's the little peanut doing?"

Smiling as she rubbed her small protruding belly, she answered with a grin, "Growing every day."

"That's good," he flipped his coin again before sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks, his open suit jacket bunching behind his arms, "What's Hodgins's been up to?"

"Bored as hell," Angela turned to face her desk, crossing her arms over its surface as she gave him a pointed look, "Why are you here Booth?"

"Oh, you know," Booth stood before one of Angela's paintings, intently studying the lines and colors, "Just paying a visit to you squinterns."

"Booth," Angela gave him a pointed look as soon as he turned to face her, "You hate the lab. The only reasons you come here is to get answers on a case, which we don't have, or to get Brennan, who is not here. So why are you here?"

Shrugging, he meandered around the office, picking up a small sculpture from a shelf, "Just wondering if you've heard from Bones."

Angela watched him, making note of his avoidance at looking her way, "This morning. She's doing well."

"Good," Booth nodded, setting the sculpture down, "That's good. Did she head off to some dig or something?"

"You don't know where she's at?"

Letting out a long breath, he finally looked over at Angela, "No. She won't answer my calls, won't return my texts. I have no idea where she is, what she's doing, or how she's doing."

"She's adjusting, as expected," Angela pushed her chair back, picking up a folder from her outgoing tray, "If you'll excuse me, I need to get this to Cam."

"Angela," Booth stopped her with a hand on her arm, his brown eyes quietly beseeching her to not leave him in the dark, "Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"I thought you talked to her this morning."

"I did," Angela gently tugged her arm away, moving around him to exit her office, "Considering the plans she had for today, she could be in any given place."

"What plans?"

Walking past the platform with Booth behind her, she did her best to keep the growing anger inside her from bleeding into her voice, "She's taking flying lessons."

"Flying lessons? Like, an airplane?"

"She doesn't need lessons to fly a kite," the sarcasm was sharp as she looked over at him where he was keeping step beside her, "Yes, she's learning to fly a plane."

Booth stopped where he was, staring after Angela, "Since when has she wanted to learn to fly a plane?"

Angela lifted a shoulder in a shrug, slowing down before turning to walk up to Booth, "You know what's bothering me," she didn't wait for him to answer, "That you forgot the truth about Brennan."

Booth opened his mouth, but Angela didn't let him speak as she smacked the folder against his chest, "You pushed when you knew damn well she wasn't ready. Not only that, but you didn't spell out exactly what you were feeling –instead, you go stupid and ask her to gamble on something she has no certainty of its outcome. Now, here she is, finally laying out the truth about how she's felt about you for years, and you had to go and let her know your heart belonged to someone else. You basically told her your love for her no longer existed and her own feelings didn't matter."

"I didn't –" Booth stopped what he was saying when she slapped his chest again, her eyes sparkling with long held anger, "You keep your mouth shut. I'm telling you right now, Booth, if you mess with her head the way you did with her heart, I will hurt you."

Booth stood where he was, watching Angela walk away in a huff, his own chest feeling painfully tight. Rubbing a hand over his chest, he turned to leave the lab, pulling out his phone to check and see if Bones had returned his calls and texts…

She had not.

* * *

Successfully turning the plane around at their turning point, Brennan laughed as she looked out at the view spread out before them, "This is amazing!"

Chris grinned as he watched her work the rudder and brakes under her feet, her touch light on the control wheel, "You're a natural at this."

"I can't believe I never thought of learning to do this," she let out a sigh as she leaned back her head against the seat's head rest. Their trek had consisted of leaving a small airport, with a flight plan taking them east of Washington D.C. Now, they were heading back to the city, the sun slowly setting before them and painting the sky into brilliant hot colors, "This is so freeing –like nothing I've ever experienced before."

Laughing, Chris quickly checked the gages spread out before them, noting their altitude and speed, seeing they had more than plenty of fuel left to make it home, "Wait until I teach you to land this baby –you'll understand what fear is."

"You actually were planning on teaching Lauren how to fly?"

"Yes," Chris tapped her left hand to get her to move the control wheel, which she had moved ten degrees away from their designated path, "Lauren enjoyed learning new things, and she was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. We would talk, you know, on the days when she successfully completed transplants. The success of those operations would make her happy. At times, nearly manic. The last couple of months, though…after she lost those three patients, one after the other, she shut down on me…"

Brennan looked over at him, a soft smile on her face, blue eyes glassy with unshed tears, "She would have been happy with you –she knew that. She just wasn't strong enough to reach out to you like she wanted to."

Chris nodded, blinking away tears as he took his control wheel, moving his feet to the rudders and brakes at his feet, "I'm glad I'm sharing this with you…I know she would have enjoyed it, and I'm glad you are too."

Placing her hands on her lap, she let him take control of the small air plane, watching the sunset as they slowly descended towards Washington D.C.

"You can't give up on him, Temperance," Chris looked over at her, seeing the lost look on her face as she studied the panoramic view, "He's stuck it out for years. A love like that doesn't just go away, it can't be replaced by another love."

"He said she wasn't a consolation prize," letting out a sigh, she turned her head to look at him, "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Be the friend he was when you broke his heart."

"A heart can't be broken," she rubbed a finger against the seam of her dark jeans, dropping her eyes to watch its movement, "It's a muscle, so it can only be crushed."

"I stand corrected," he said with a chuckle as he slowly turned the plane towards the runway, quickly communicating with the tower to get the green light so he could land, doing so smoothly once he was given the go ahead, the wheels touching the tarmac, both of their seats bouncing slightly as the speed he was going slowly decreased until he was cruising along, pulling into the hangar he kept his plane in, "Are you ready to see him on Monday?"

"I'm not sure," she removed her headset as soon as Chris removed his, staying still when he reached over to undo her five point harness after having undone his, "I haven't talked to him all week, and I'll know he'll want to know why. What do I say?"

"Tell him you needed time to yourself and he should respect that," Chris helped her exit the plane, taking the duffel bag he had brought with him, "As your friend, he'll back off."

Chuckling, she walked beside him, settling her sunglasses on the top of her head as they arrived at his car, "Booth doesn't know how to back off."

"Then you tell him to back off," Chris opened the passenger door for her, having already tossed his duffel into the trunk, "Don't pussyfoot around him, Brennan."

"I don't know what that means."

Laughing, he closed her door and headed around the front, sliding into the driver's seat as he looked over at her, "Don't hold back. Don't keep your feelings and thoughts to yourself. If you need to, tell him to back off, to give you space, and if something he does or says hurts you, tell him. Friendship is about give and take, about being open and honest with each other."

The silence was comfortable as he easily navigated the streets towards her apartment. "Are we friends?"

Chris looked over at her, his mouth tipping into a smile as he answered her question, "Yes. We're friends."

"I'm naturally inclined to close myself off, to keep from getting hurt. I don't want to do that to Booth, but how do I fight my natural inclinations?"

"It won't be easy," he parked his car in the parking lot beside her apartment building, turning it off and removing his key as he looked over at her, "You'll have to fight every automatic response you have ingrained when it comes to emotional involvement. It'll become easier with time and practice."

Nodding, she got out of the car when he opened her door, pulling her keys out of the pocket of her coat, "Everything does."

Locking his car, he walked beside her, hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket, "I'm looking forward to this dinner you've got planned. I haven't had a home cooked meal in quite a while."

She laughed as she looked over her shoulder at him, "How do you feel about mac and cheese?"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews! I was amazed to get such a wonderful response. I apologize for taking so long to update. I have a lot on my plate so I beg you to please be patient. Enjoy and please leave behind treats in forms of reviews!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 _Saturday Night_

The murmurs barely even registered as he tapped his finger against the wooden surface of the bar, tossing back the shot as soon as the bartender poured it before signaling for another one.

Running his hand through his hair, he stared into the amber liquid as flashes of his fight with Hannah intermingled with his worried thoughts over Bones.

" _Seeley," Hannah walked out of the room she shared with her boyfriend, "Have you seen my –really, Seeley? You're calling her again?"_

 _He didn't look up from his phone, elbows on the table's surface as he typed with his thumbs, "I haven't heard from her all week. She won't respond to my calls or texts –"_

" _She's a big girl, Seeley," Hannah tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder, placing a hand on his shoulder; "She'll talk to you when she's ready. Just leave her alone."_

" _She's my best friend –"_

" _And I'm your girlfriend," Hannah's voice had a slight edge of irritation, which caught Booth's attention as he finally looked up at her; "I know that –why are you all dressed up?"_

" _The office party I told you about," Hannah arched an eyebrow at him, rolling her eyes as she turned towards the living room, grabbing her black trench coat from the back of the armchair, "Last Thursday. Then again, you were so busy checking your phone you probably didn't hear me."_

" _Give me five minutes to get ready," Booth stood up, checking his phone again before slipping it into his jeans' pocket._

" _You don't have to come."_

" _Hannah –"_

" _Seeley, I don't want you to come," Hannah clasped her hands before her, the trench coat clutched in one hand, "Keep trying to get ahold of Temperance…and I'd rather you do that here, where my colleagues won't notice you ignoring me."_

" _Hannah –"_

" _Give Temperance my regards," Hannah's long legs carried her to the front door as she called out over her shoulder before closing the door behind her, "I'll see you when I get home."_

Tossing back the shot, he looked down at the phone he'd placed on the bar, screen face up. Swiping his finger across the touch screen, he saw Hannah's one word response to his plans to come to the Founding Fathers for a drink…which had turned into four as he signaled the bartender for another shot.

"You drunk, man?" Hodgins sat at Booth's left, looking over at the bartender as he poured Booth's shot, "I'll have a Porter."

Nodding, the bartender poured the popular IPA into a glass, sliding it across the bar towards Hodgins before heading to the other side where two women were waiting to give him their drink orders.

"Not at all," Booth answered as he tossed back the shot, setting the glass on the bar with a thunk, "Barely scrapping the surface with four shots. Have you heard from Bones?"

Hodgins took a healthy sip of his IPA, turning to look at Booth as he placed his glass back on the bar, "Is that why you invited me to join you? To ask for Dr. B's whereabouts?"

"Why the hell is no one telling me where she is," Booth leaned back from the bar, picking up his phone to wave it in Hodgins' face, "She won't tell me, Cam won't tell me, Angela won't tell me –I even asked Sweets and he won't tell me! Why the fuck does he know where she is?"

Hodgins stared wide-eyed as Booth tossed back his fifth shot as soon as the bartender filled up the glass. Tapping the bar's surface for another one, Booth turned to look at Hodgins, "Is she doing this to punish me? This is all Sweets fault –that little rat bastard pushed me, told me I was the gambler, that I should break the stale mate. What the fuck was I thinking? Nothing good ever comes from listening to fucking Sweets! Remember that, Bug-Boy –Sweets' advice sucks."

Taking a sip of his drink, Hodgins did his best to keep his face from showing the amusement he was experiencing due to Booth's sudden verbal diarrhea, simply nodding as the usually reserved Agent continued to spill his chaotic thoughts as he tossed back two more shots. At the rate he was taking those drinks, Booth was going to end up with his head in a toilet at some point tonight.

"She wasn't ready –I knew that! I panicked –all I could hear was Sweets' voice in my head, over and over again, telling me how I'm supposed to make the first move. Six years of waiting –down the fucking drain. I knew, Hodgins…"

He turned slightly glazed brown eyes towards his silent drinking buddy, not noticing when the entomologist motioned for the bartender not to refill Booth's shot glass, "From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew…six fucking years, Hodgins. Watching her, waiting…what the fuck was I thinking?"

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer so he just quietly kept drinking his IPA. Sure enough, not even half a minute later, Booth spoke up again, the quiet sorrow in his voice causing a lump to form in Hodgins' throat, "I had to move on…I told her I had to move on…as if I could move on from the one who holds my soul."

Booth kept his eyes lowered, watching as he spun the empty shot glass in its place, "I love Hannah…I do. I've made a commitment to her…and she's great. She really is –she's smart, funny, beautiful…and she gave up her dream job to be with me. I can't ignore that. She loves me…and she's not afraid to let me know she loves me. She's never spouting off anthropological reasons why monogamy doesn't work or telling me how love is just some brain thing…"

Finishing his IPA, he shook his head at the bartender when the guy motioned if he wanted another one, turning his attention back to Booth, the Agent slurring his words slightly as he gave him a squinty look, "What do I do, Bug-Boy? What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Letting out a sigh, he took out his wallet, leaving enough money on the bar to cover both their drinks before he gave Booth's shoulder a brotherly pat, "First, you're going home and sleeping it off. Drunk is not the way to make decisions. Come on –let's get you a taxi."

"I brought my SUV."

"And you're not driving it," Hodgins took the keys Booth had pulled out of his jeans' pocket, grabbing the phone from the bar before he ushered the Agent to the door, trying not to laugh as he stumbled his way out of the Founding Fathers, "You can pick it up tomorrow morning."

"Gotta go to church tomorrow," Booth slurred as the cold wind hit his face, blinking at the street lights bouncing off the wet asphalt and sidewalks, "Need my wheels."

"You need your life more than your wheels," Hodgins steered him towards his car, trying not to laugh at the befuddled look on Booth's face as he stared at the European car.

"You want me to get into this tin can," Booth asked as he looked over at Hodgins, his hand against the car's frame, the other one on the open door.

"Hey," Hodgins pulled his keys out of the pocket of his jacket, "This car is a classic."

"You know what else is a classic," Booth weaved slightly as he squinted at Hodgins in an effort to focus, "A clown car."

"Do you want me to drive you home or call you a cab? If you prefer, I can call Hannah and have her pick you up."

"Hannah," Booth leaned against the door, letting out a long breath, "What am I going to do, Bug-Boy?"

Letting out a long breath of his own, Hodgins moved to lean against the side of his car, crossing his arms over his chest, "The only thing you can do, Booth."

"And that is?"

"Be true to yourself. You're an honorable man, Booth. You take loyalty and commitment to a whole other level –you're one of the good guys," Hodgins shifted against the little red and white British Mini Cooper, looking over at Booth, "You didn't hurt Dr. B on purpose. And you're right about Sweets –letting him push you when neither of you were ready was not the smartest thing you've ever done. You have every right to be happy, as does Dr. B. You love Hannah, and you're committed to her…"

"Why did you stop," Booth looked over at him, "I do love Hannah –she's not a consolation prize."

"You make sure that's true," Hodgins pushed himself away from the car, clapping his hand on Booth's shoulder, "Because you pretty much told Dr. B there's no chance of anything ever happening between you two. She'll learn how to adjust, but there will come a day when she'll want more –and she'll find someone other than you who will give it to her."

Booth glared at Hodgins, pushing away from the car, "I don't like that."

"That's too bad," Hodgins shrugged, his face sporting a look of nonchalance, "'Cause you no longer have any say in it. Are you gonna get in the car or not?"

* * *

 _Sunday Morning_

The smell of burning candle wax was exacerbating Booth's headache but he did his best to push past it. Shifting to get more comfortable on the kneeling bench he was on, he tried to get his thoughts back on track, eyes shut and head bowed as he prayed.

 _God, if you can hear me…tell me what to do. Send me a sign or something, help me out here. I don't want to lose Bones. She's the one constant in my life. She's been my center for so long, I don't know how I would be able to face the days without her in them. Help me be a better friend, I know I've screwed this up so bad but please, God, please help me find my –_

The feel of his phone vibrating against his thigh had him let out a sigh as he pulled it out, his heart jumping into his throat when he saw Bones' name on the screen. Swiping his thumb across it, he pushed himself up and moved out of the pew towards the doors, grateful he had sat at the back of the church so he wouldn't disrupt the ongoing service. As soon as he was outside, he tapped on the message icon, letting out a long breath as he read her message.

 _ **Meet me at the coffee cart after church?**_

His lips tilted into a smile as he typed with his thumb: _By the Reflecting Pool?_

 _ **Yes**_

 _See you in a few_

Pocketing the phone, he let out a sigh as he glanced up at the clear blue sky, slipping on his Ray-Bans before the sun fried his eyeballs, _Thank you, God._

* * *

She fiddled with the rim of her coffee cup, eyes trained on the surface of the still water reflecting the Washington Monument and the clear blue sky behind it. A soft breeze lifted strands of her hair, the sunrays warm against her exposed skin as it slowly made its trajectory across the blue sky.

"You've got that lost little girl look on your face," Booth moved around her to sit to her left on the bench, taking the cup of coffee she held out to him, "What are you thinking about?"

Lifting her shoulder in a shrug, she took a sip of her coffee while she studied him out of the corner of her eye, "How have you been?"

Booth leaned forward to rest his elbows on his splayed thighs, coffee cup held loosely between his big hands, "Worried…haven't seen or heard from you for over a week. No one would tell me what was going on, how you were doing…and, of course, you were ignoring all my calls and texts."

Dropping her eyes to the half empty cup of black coffee, she let out a soft breath, voice soft as she explained, "I needed time and space."

"And now?"

"Just space," she lifted the cup to her mouth, sipping a bit of coffee as she looked out towards the still surface of the long rectangular pool of water, "I've taken the time I needed."

Straightening to a sitting position, he took a gulp of his coffee, grimacing at the lukewarm taste of the black caffeinated drink, "So what you've been up to?"

Re-crossing her legs, she shifted in her seat, resting her cup on her knee as she watched a young boy throw a Frisbee, a golden retriever chasing after it, "I watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon, went spelunking and biking in Virginia, took a couple of flying lessons."

"Alone?"

"An instructor is needed for flying lessons," Brennan looked over at him, realizing what he was asking, "No, not alone. Chris Markham invited me to accompany him to Arizona. We were there on Sunday. We went to the caves in Luray, Virginia on Tuesday, biked the Virginia Creeper Trail on Thursday. Friday and Saturday were spent up in the air, on this Cub Piper plane he owns. He said by this time next year, I should be able to get my pilot's license."

He stared at her, eyebrows dipped low as he watched her study the people walking to and fro, the sun bringing out auburn highlights from her dark brown hair, "Chris Markham? The helicopter pilot from the Eames case?"

"Yes," finishing her coffee, she set the cup on the bench beside her, resting her now empty hands on her lap, "I went to see him the morning after you…I told him what happened with Lauren. We had breakfast, talked about Lauren...We have a lot in common, so we just listened to each other…he's one of the few people I can actually understand."

He nodded, not knowing what to say to all she'd shared with him. He wasn't entirely happy with the fact she'd spent an entire weekend with the pilot who'd made crazy eyes at her, but he wasn't in a position to say anything about it. Swallowing the last of his coffee, he took her empty cup and stood up, Brennan standing along with him, "So, uh…you want to have lunch?"

Sliding her hands into the pockets of her beige sweater, she shook her head, easily keeping in step with him, "No. I've got some catching up to do at the lab, and I'm sure Hannah is waiting for you."

He nodded, dumping the cups into a trashcan as they continued to walk towards the parking lot, "So, when you said you need space…"

"I…" she stopped, trying to think of the best way to express to him what she was feeling, "I need some time apart, outside of work."

He turned to look at her as she turned to him, "Bones…we're friends."

"I know," she gave him a small smile, her light blue eyes bright as she struggled to get her rising emotions under control, "That's why I'm asking you to give me some space. Don't text or call me unless its work related…it won't be for long, just long enough for me to get some perspective."

He nodded, the lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. Closing his eyes as she reached up to kiss his cheek, he opened them in time to watch her walk away from him, his chest feeling as tight as his throat.

Standing still as she moved further away from him, he blinked hard to get rid of the burning sensation in his eyes as he whispered into the wind, "I'm a fucking idiot."


	3. Chapter 3

**TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 _A Month Later_

 **Season 6, Episode 10: The Body in the Bag**

Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to catch up to her. Even though she kept her pace at a jog, the steady speed had him falling behind every time he slowed down.

"Okay," panting as he finally moved up to her left, he worked at keeping pace with her, "This was not my idea of an alternative to the gym."

Laughing as she followed the natural curves of the Anacostia River Walk trail, her ponytail swishing against the back of her neck, "You said you wanted to do something different from your usual workout."

"Yeah, but I didn't think your solution would be running ten miles," Chris reached up to push his sunglasses back in place, groaning as he caught sight of a mile marker, "And we're only at four!"

Shaking her head, Brennan kept her breathing steady as they curved to the left along with the trail, the Anacostia River to their right, "Only six more to go."

"Next time, I pick the activity," he could feel his calf and thigh muscles burning, his abdominals not faring any better, "Otherwise, you'll end up killing me."

Laughing as the trail curved to the right, she let her mind drift; the silence between them was comfortable before Chris started falling behind again.

Forty-five minutes later, she was doing her post-run stretches, grinning when Chris finally reached the twenty mile marker, his t-shirt plastered with sweat, "Better than the gym, don't you think?"

Bending over, he rested his hands on his thighs, fighting to suck oxygen into his lungs as he shook his head, "I'm starting to think…you have a…sadistic streak…hidden away."

Brennan couldn't help laughing as they headed towards the coffee cart, the breeze brushing back the strands stuck to her damp neck, "You know running helps build and maintain stamina."

Chris chuckled as he handed a coffee cup to her before taking his own after paying, "I've never had any complaints about my stamina."

Laughing together, they found a bench to share, Brennan stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles as she blew across the top of her steaming coffee. They watched as people used the trail to walk their dogs, ride their bikes, walk or run as the sun rays bounced off the bright blue surface of the Anacostia River, making it sparkle.

"How's it going with Booth?"

Letting out a sigh, she took a sip of her coffee before answering, "I asked him for some space –he's been good about giving it to me. I texted him yesterday, since it was his birthday. He replied right away –I know it's not easy for him to back off, but he's really trying."

Chris nodded as he flexed his feet in an effort to stretch his calve muscles, "Did you doubt he would be able to give you the space you needed?"

"I've only doubted Booth once in my life," Brennan lifted her left foot up to the edge of the bench to stretch out her rectus femoris, "Incidentally, it was about this time, a few years ago. I felt so guilty, I threw a surprise birthday party for him. I promised myself I would never forget who he is and what he is capable of."

Chris nodded, finishing his coffee as she alternately stretched out her legs, "Keep holding on to that, Temperance. Don't lose faith in him –or in yourself."

"Faith is believing in something you cannot see," Brennan stood up just as her cell phone chimed an in-coming text message, "I'm not sure I can do that because what I'm seeing is telling me there's nothing there anymore –I wonder if there ever was."

Chris couldn't help feeling anger towards Booth, wondering if the idiot even knew what kind of damage he had done to this woman's vulnerable heart. Even having known her for such a short time, he had picked up that closely guarded secret, having seen the same with Lauren. Women like Lauren and Brennan worked hard at protecting their soft vulnerable hearts, sometimes to the point of being emotionally distant, and all so they wouldn't feel the pain of heartbreak.

Watching her read the text on her phone, he wished Lauren had given him the chance to protect that beautiful heart of hers, feeling his own wrench painfully in his chest because there never would be a chance for him.

"I have to go," Brennan gave him a small smile as she re-strapped the phone to her upper arm where it had been during their ten plus mile run, "They found a body."

Chris stood up, shaking out his legs before taking the empty cup she was holding, "I'll see you later. I start my shift at six tomorrow morning. Give me a call if you want to do breakfast."

"I will."

* * *

To say he felt awkward over the whole thing was putting it mildly, especially considering his unplanned conversation with Sweets earlier that morning.

 _Well, perhaps this is difficult because you still have feelings for Dr. Brennan._

Letting the hot water wash away the disgusting memory of being covered in dead person crud, he poured shampoo into his hand, vigorously scrubbing his hair before giving his face another pass, cupping his hands over his mouth and nose to breath in the clean scent in hopes of getting rid of the lingering smells of the crime scene and its regurgitated evidence.

 _Did she say she loved you? Was she that direct?_

Sighing, he shut off the water, grabbing a towel and stepping out onto the cold tiled floor. He had to tell Hannah. He owed her his loyalty –he loved her so he couldn't keep something like this from her.

But didn't he owe his loyalty to Bones too?

He let out a groan, tossing the damp towel into the hamper before moving into the bedroom, quickly changing into a clean suit and stepping into his black Vans. Grabbing his wallet, watch, phone, lighter, poker chip and sobriety coin from the dresser where he'd placed them, he headed out of his bedroom, stopping in the middle of the living room as Hannah walked in the front door.

"Hey," he slipped his watch onto his wrist, watching as she hung her trench coat on the coat rack and dropped her messenger bag on his recliner, "What are you doing home?"

"They still haven't found office space for me," she rolled her eyes as she kicked off her shoes, "Thought I'd work on my article here. What about you? Don't you have a case?"

"Yeah," looping his tie around his neck, he efficiently tied it into a knot, leaving it loose as he slipped on his suit jacket, "There was a bit of an incident at the crime scene so I had to shower."

Hannah smirked at the look of disgust on his face. Crossing the room, she slid her hand over his tie before pulling him down for a kiss, "Got time for lunch?"

He smiled at the mischievous glint in her green eyes, kissing her lips just as his phone dinged. Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at the text message, "Actually, no. Bones needs me at the lab. How about we meet tonight for drinks?"

"Founding Fathers?"

"Of course," he brushed his fingers over her cheek, pushing back a lock of blond hair, "Meet you there?"

Letting go of his tie, she gave him a peck on the lips, "Call me when you're free."

"Will do."

* * *

 _Next Day_

"I would have done the same thing and you would've understood. Right?"

She stared at her, not sure what to say.

Hannah let out a breath before speaking again, "I wasn't avoiding you…I was just confused. I don't want to do anything to mess up your friendship with Seeley…or my friendship with you."

Seeing the driver waving at her and pointing to his watch, she gave Brennan a small smile, "Now, if you can please step aside, I'm actually late to an interview with the President."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes."

She moved to the side, turning to face her as Hannah walked past her towards the white van, "Can you please ask him to devote more resources to the conflict in the Congo?"

"Of course. Drinks later? I won't cancel."

"Absolutely."

Brennan stood in the middle of the street, watching Hannah climb into the van, staying where she was as it drove away.

He told her…Booth had told Hannah about her confession.

Trying to breathe as emotions welled up inside her, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her cream colored coat, pulling out her phone and thumbing through her contacts.

He had told her…the most humiliating, painful night she'd experienced and he'd told Hannah about it.

" _Hello?_ "

"He…I can't…I don't…"

Why couldn't she talk? Her lungs weren't working; she could feel her heart beating hard against her sternum, sudden nausea making sweat pop out along her brow.

" _Temperance? What's wrong?"_

"I can't…I can't breathe…He told…I can't…"

" _Listen to me –you need to take a deep breath. Can you do that for me?"_

Struggling to suck in air into her starving lungs, she shook her head, certain her throat was closing, "I can't…he told her…I can't…"

She knew what was happening, knew this panic attack was all in her head, causing physiological symptoms to manifest, but she couldn't seem to rationalize herself out of it.

" _Sit down, Tempe, and put your head between your knees."_

Stumbling towards the curb, she sat down, dark spots swimming before her eyes. Bending over, she gripped the phone hard, the position forcing her diaphragm to contract, moving downward as her lungs expanded up painfully, tears filling up her eyes. Pressing her free hand against the warm concrete in an effort to ground herself, she took in another deep breath, her nose stuffing up with the need to cry but she swallowed back the sob rising up her throat.

" _Keep breathing for me, Temperance. You're going to be okay."_

Nodding even though she knew he couldn't see her, she worked at taking deep breaths, spacing them evenly to keep from hyperventilating.

" _Better?"_

"Yes," she sniffed, closing her eyes as the nausea abated, the breeze drying the sweat that had covered her face, "I'm okay…I'm okay…"

" _I'm at DC Memorial, on stand-by for the next five hours. Come up to the heli-pad as soon as you're able to drive."_

"Okay…I'll be there."

Resting her outstretched arms on her knees, she stared blindly at the sight before her, not letting herself think about anything other than the movement of her intercostal muscles as they contracted and expanded and the slowing rhythm of her beating heart.

A good half hour later, she was on her way to DC Memorial, working hard at keeping her chaotic thoughts in control by mentally labeling the human skeleton, starting with the skull.

 _Frontal, glabella, supraorbital foramen, supraorbital margin, superior orbital fissure, orbital plate of frontal bone, coronal suture._

She was going to be okay.

 _Zygomatic, nasal, lacrimal, middle nasal concha, sphenoid, infraorbital foramen._

She had to be okay…

* * *

"How'd she take it?"

" _Okay, I think. She seemed upset you told me…"_

Booth stopped shuffling through the papers on his desk, leaning back on his chair and closing his eyes as Hannah continued to talk.

" _I'm going to be meeting her tonight for drinks."_

"Good," Booth opened his eyes in response to the light tap at his office door, "That's good. I gotta go. Sweets is outside my door."

" _Okay. See you when I get home."_

Hanging up the phone, he gestured for Sweets to enter, listening to the kid-wonder as he spouted off his theories and psycho-mumbo jumbo. As soon as he was alone once more, he turned his attention to the dreaded paperwork on his desk but couldn't concentrate on what he was reading.

She had been upset…

He could still hear her soft sobs, could still see the dimming hope in her tear-bright eyes.

 _I understand. I missed my chance._

Dropping the papers on his desk, he rubbed his hands over his face, letting out a soft groan.

He had told Hannah…and Bones had been upset…

What the hell was he doing?

* * *

As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, the tears she had been fighting broke free, her face buried into his chest, her fisted hands between them.

"It's going to be okay, Temperance," Chris rested a hand on her head, his other arm wrapped around her shaking shoulders, "You're strong –you can get through this."

"I don't know what I'm feeling," she sucked in a mouthful of air, pulling away as she wiped a hand over her wet cheeks, "There's so many…emotions inside me right now, I can't…I feel like I have no control over any of them. I can't push them away –I'm having difficulty compartmentalizing what I'm feeling right now."

Guiding her towards the bench, he sat beside her, taking a small hand to hold in both of his, "Let me help. Tell me what happened, just the facts, and we can work from there."

Her breath hitched as she nodded, "Hannah and I had plans –but she cancelled. Twice. Angela told me it was probably because she was hiding something from me, so I confronted her. She told me Booth told her about what happened –about my confession. I just…I didn't…I didn't expect that to be the reason why. I didn't even think he would tell her about any of it. Hannah said he had to, because they were a couple, but…it was his rule. What happens between us is ours –that was his rule, and then he went and told her about that night, about what I said. Why would he do that?"

"Oh, Temperance," Chris pulled her back into his arms, holding her as she cried into his shoulder, wishing Booth were right in front of him so he could punch the bastard in the face. If only the agent knew how much damage he was causing, "I'm so sorry. I know it hurts, and I know you're feeling betrayed, but it's going to be okay."

"Yes," pulling away from him, she wiped her cheeks, blue eyes sparkling as she looked at him, "That's what I'm feeling –betrayed…and angry. It was his rule –"

Reaching up to frame her face with his hands, he gave her a gently smile, his brown eyes filled with compassion for her, "You need to talk to him, Temperance. You need to tell him how you feel about what he did."

"He should have warned me," blinking back fresh tears, she sucked in a deep stuttering breath, "Don't I deserve that much? Doesn't everything we've been through guarantee me a warning before he shared my pain and humiliation with others?"

"Talk to him, Temperance," Chris dropped his hands to take hers, giving them a supportive squeeze, "He needs to know how you feel and you need to voice your feelings. This is what you're striving for, right? To feel, to live, to grow…to become stronger. This is how you start."

* * *

It was past two in the morning when Booth walked into the Founding Fathers, quickly zeroing in on his partner and his girlfriend, both women leaning into the bar giggling nonstop. Looking over at Lucas, the bartender, he gave him a nod of thanks for calling him.

Both women were way too drunk to get home safely.

"Hey, you two," Booth moved around Bones, his sniper reflexes saving Hannah from falling on her ass when she turned in her stool at the sound of his voice, "You okay?"

Hannah nodded, closing one eye as she tried to focus on him, "Some guy tried to buy us drinks –like, both of us. Can you believe it?"

Bones giggled as she looked over her shoulder at Booth, her elbow on the oak surface of the bar, one foot on the floor to keep herself from falling off the stool, "You ever had a _ménage a trois_ , Booth?"

"Really, Bones?" Booth stared at her in surprise before shaking his head, "I think it's time to take you two home. You both okay to walk?"

"I am," weaving slightly as she stood up, Bones looked over at Hannah, laughing as the blond stumbled as she got off her stool, "Want to know why?"

Keeping one arm around Hannah's waist, Booth reached out to take Bones' arm once he noted she wasn't as steady on her feet as she thought, "Why?"

"Because I have a high alcohol tolerance," Bones let him guide her towards the door, her blue eyes bleary as she tried to walk a straight line, "I drank _bang_. Remember, Booth? To _bang!_ "

Hannah giggled as she leaned forward to look across Booth's chest towards Bones, "To _bang_!"

Trying not to cringe at the reminder of, what to him, had been a life-changing night, he helped them into the back of his SUV, giving Hannah a hand with her seatbelt as he looked over at Bones, watching as she finally got her own seatbelt secured after the third try, "How about we take you home first, Bones?"

"Fine, fine," Bones leaned her head back, closing her eyes as she let out a sigh.

Hannah reached out to grab his tie, pulling him to kiss his mouth before whispering, "Are you really related to John Wilkes Booth?"

Jaw tightening, he looked over at Bones, surprised when he locked eyes with her, having thought she'd fallen asleep, "Bones tell you that?"

"Yup," Hannah hiccupped as she let go of his tie, her head falling back against the headrest, "She said since we're a couple, I should know your secrets…the ones you haven't told me…"

Letting out a giggle, she reached up and grabbed his jaw, turning his head side to side, "I can't believe you're afraid of clowns…"

He let out a sigh, not breaking eye contact with Bones, seeing something in her blue eyes that took him several seconds to identify as anger, the knot in his gut twisting viciously.

"I'm not afraid of clowns," he took Hannah's hand off his face, placing it on her lap before stepping back and slamming the door shut.

Rubbing both hands over his face, he took in a deep breath, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes, _God, help me._

Short prayer said, he got into the driver's seat, easily maneuvering into flowing traffic and heading towards Bones' place, looking at the rearview mirror to see both women had passed out.

In the six years he'd known her, he had never thought Bones to be the kind of person to seek payback, especially the emotional kind. He knew after having told Hannah about that night without letting Bones know first had not been the smartest decision he'd ever made. Really, as he thought about it, he deserved her anger. And it wasn't like she'd shared his deep dark secrets, the ones he only trusted her with, the ones he'd never even thought of sharing with Hannah. Granted, he hadn't wanted Hannah to ever know about him being related to John Wilkes Booth, or about his strong aversion to clowns, but he knew despite her drunken anger at him, Bones wouldn't share what really mattered with Hannah. It still hurt, though, to know he'd hurt her bad enough for her to spill some of his secrets to his girlfriend.

Finding a nearby parking spot outside her building, he left Hannah asleep in the backseat as he helped Bones out of his vehicle, into the building, and up to her apartment. Using his key when she couldn't pull her keys out of the front pocket of her jeans, he kept an arm around her waist as she stumbled beside him, easily keeping her on her feet as they moved across the open floor living room and down the hall to her bedroom.

Pushing him away from her, she crawled onto her bed, her hair keeping her face hidden as she mumbled, "You're a liar, Booth…total bullshit. Everything you've ever said was total bullshit."

Collapsing face first onto her bed, she wrapped her arms around her pillow, words muffled but still heard by Booth, "You promised…not to betray me…and I forgot to remain vigilant…my fault…"

Closing his eyes, he tried to push past the tightening pain in his chest, finally rubbing the heel of his right hand over the heavy ache on the left side of his chest. The quiet sound of her deep breathing let him know she had fallen asleep, but he still felt the weight of her words. Swallowing as he looked at her sleeping form, he gently removed her boots, flipping the duvet cover over her still body as he moved to the side of the bed closest to her head. Pushing back her dark hair with a finger, he stroked his thumb over her wet cheek, letting out a heartfelt sigh before pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry Bones. I'll fix this –I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: This one is a bit short but I find it kind of fit with the mood of the episode. I would like to post a disclaimer for this chapter -I have no medical knowledge whatsoever. What little medical information is in this chapter was gleaned from Google and used loosely. Hope y'all enjoy! I am doing my best to update once a month, at the least, but I cannot make many promises when I have other stories, jobs, and responsibilities to maintain. Love all the wonderful reviews! Can't wait to read some more!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 _Two Months Later_

 **Season 6, Episode 11: The Bullet in the Brain**

 _Fiddling with her coffee cup, she swallowed with a bit of difficulty, clearing her throat in an attempt to rid herself of the tight knot there._

" _I'm sorry, Booth."_

" _Bones –"_

 _She held up her hand to stop him, "No, Booth, let me speak."_

 _Letting out a sigh when he closed his mouth and took a sip of his coffee, she continued, "I was wrong to take out my anger with you by revealing secrets you trusted me with. It's not my place to tell Hannah things about you when you haven't told her yourself. Especially when done out of anger."_

 _He stared at her as she blinked back tears, his knuckles white as he held tight to the ceramic cup between his hands, "You're angry with me because I told Hannah."_

 _She nodded, glad he wasn't pretending not to know what their conversation was about, "Yes. I understand you're a couple, and you felt…obligated to tell her about that night, but I don't understand why. I'm not a threat to your relationship –you made that very clear…and I hope you know I would never do anything to cause trouble between you two…"_

 _He reached out to cover her hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I know that, Bones."_

 _She stared at the dark surface of her coffee, her hand relaxed under the warm weight of his, "Why would you tell her, Booth? Why didn't you warn me first? I felt like an idiot when Angela explained to me why Hannah kept canceling our plans…and it definitely didn't get better when I confronted her about it."_

 _Closing his fingers around her small hand, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, his eyes staring into hers as he gathered his thoughts, finally telling her three simple words that covered so many complicated feelings, "I felt guilty."_

" _Why," she stared at him, unable to understand what he could possibly be feeling guilty about, "I'm the one who confessed…I don't understand why you would feel guilty about keeping my confession a secret from Hannah."_

 _He couldn't share what Sweets had said, couldn't tell her there may be some truth to it, "I don't know, Bones. I'm…I'm having a hard time figuring out how to…deal with all of this."_

 _Dropping her eyes to their joined hands, she swallowed back the urge to cry, her voice low and soft as she looked up at him, "Hannah said…she said she didn't want to mess up my friendship with you…is that possible?"_

" _No, Bones," taking her hand in both of his, he brought it up to press a kiss against her knuckles, "Nothing…nothing, and no one, can ever mess up what you and I have. I'll never let that happen. We've gone through too much, have been there for each other every time we needed to…we're the center. Right? That doesn't change no matter who or what comes into our lives."_

" _Right," giving him a small smile, she placed her free hand over his, "We're the center."_

" _Always."_

Brennan jerked at the sound of her name, turning towards the open door of her office as Cam leaned in, "Yes, Dr. Saroyan?"

"There was a shooting outside the courthouse," Cam watched the emotions flit across the anthropologist's face as she continued, "Heather Taffet's dead. I need you there. Tell the FBI forensics team they can have the body –we'll take the skull fragments."

Standing up, she tried to get her heart to calm down without much success, "Booth? Is he alright?"

"Hacker didn't say."

* * *

She followed the line of sight he pointed out, blue eyes quickly assessing the far away buildings, her heart giving a hard thump as she looked over to where Taffet's body laid under a white sheet, the FBI forensics team carefully and efficiently collecting the skull fragments and brain matter splattered across the concrete.

Booth let out a low whistle, "Not anyone can pull off a shot from that distance."

She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat with some difficulty, voice hoarse when Booth looked over at her with a questioning look, "You were too close, Booth."

"Hey," reaching out to gently grasp her shoulders, he gave her tilted smile, "I'm okay."

"It could have –"

"No," Booth reached up, somewhat surprised at the tear he brushed off her soft cheek, "That bullet was meant for one person –Heather Taffet. Whoever did this…knew what they were doing."

"And now you have to find him."

"Hey," he tilted her chin up to look into her blue eyes, able to see a trace of fear in them, "With you by my side, there's no doubt in my mind I'll catch whoever it is and live to tell about it. Hell, you got me off a ship seconds before it blew sky high."

"You have too much faith in me."

"And you don't have enough…but that's okay, 'cause I've got it covered. And then some."

* * *

 _Two Days Later_

Looking away from her computer at the sound of her cell phone's ring, she swiped to accept the call, "Brennan."

" _Hello, this is Sandy Rosette from DC Memorial. I'm calling regarding Agent Booth."_

Sitting up straight, she tried to keep her hands from shaking at the rush of fear washing over her, "Is he alright?"

" _He came in about half an hour ago. He gave your name as his emergency contact."_

"Yes," grabbing her jacket and messenger bag as she got out of her seat, she walked out of her office with quick strides, repeating her initial question, "Is he alright?"

" _He has a minor concussion due to the explosion, as well as a large contusion on his right shoulder and a sprained ankle. Dr. Haskin is not comfortable releasing him on his own recognizance, due to the concussion, and requested you be called."_

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

The drive to DC Memorial was a blur to Brennan, her heart finally settling to a regular rhythm once she set her eyes on a surly looking Booth.

She quickly assessed his injuries, grimacing at the scrapes on his handsome face, the sling his right arm was in and the crutch currently leaning against the bed.

"Bones," letting out a sigh of exhaustion, he pushed the call button to the nurse's station, "Maybe now they'll let me go."

Setting the duffel bag of emergency clothes he kept in the back of her car, she picked up his medical chart, flipping through the paperwork as the nurse walked in, "I'd like to see his X-rays."

Grimacing at the sharp pain on his right shoulder, he gave the nurse a long suffering look as she started to deny her request, "You might as well let her see them. She won't leave it alone unless you do."

"I'll have Dr. Haskin come in to explain everything to you," the small brunette nurse offered, letting out a soft huff when Brennan responded, "I don't need Dr. Haskin to explain anything to me. I'll conclude my own findings once I see his X-rays."

Wrinkling her nose, she turned to leave the room, returning a couple minutes later with the X-rays and discharge papers, "Dr. Haskin's has discharged Mr. Booth. I just have some paperwork for him to sign."

Taking the paperwork from the nurse, Brennan set them on the side table before pulling out the X-rays from the brown sleeve they were in, holding them up to the bright light of the room. Scanning the X-ray of his skull, she was satisfied to see there was no damage. Setting it aside, she studied the one of his ankle, deducing he had indeed sprained it.

Lifting the X-ray of his right shoulder, she quickly saw what had happened to his shoulder, "Booth, does your shoulder still pain you?"

"Yeah," Booth grimaced as he shifted to stand up, the sharp shooting pain moving across his back and up his neck.

"You'll experience soreness for several days," the nurse explained, watching wide-eyed as Brennan guided Booth to sit sideways on the armless chair, "Dr. Haskin's decided to immobilize his shoulder to minimize the pain of the contusion."

"It's not a contusion," Brennan told her in that no-nonsense tone of hers as she removed his sling, "There's a partial misalignment to the acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joints."

The nurse watched in shock as Brennan moved Booth's arm up, then out in a smooth and precise motion, Booth letting out a sigh of relief as the sharp pain dissipated to a dull throbbing.

A long hour later, Booth was strapped into the Prius' passenger seat, his crutch laid out on the back seat along with his duffel bag stuffed with his ruined Armani suit. Brennan maneuvered them out of the parking lot and into the flow of traffic with ease

"Want me to take you home?" She looked over at Booth, able to see the discomfort he was feeling as he shifted in his seat, "I'm sure Hannah's worried about you."

"Hannah's out of town," Booth tugged on the strap to the sling so it would stop rubbing against his neck, "I'm actually kind of hungry. How about we go to the diner and get something to eat?"

"Booth," Brennan tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel, slowing down smoothly as the traffic light turned red, "You can't be by yourself tonight. You have a concussion –"

"Mild."

"It doesn't matter. You need to have someone keep an eye on you throughout the night."

He turned his head to look at her, "You can stay –we can watch movies all night. How about it?"

Shaking her head, she pulled into a parking spot within walking distance of the diner, "I'm not sure Hannah would appreciate finding me at your apartment when she gets back."

"Hannah's not coming home until next week."

"What? You got blown up and she's still staying out of town?"

Booth shifted in his seat, pushing his door open and stepping out, balancing on his good foot as she came around the car to take out his crutch from the backseat, "I didn't tell her I got blown up."

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to worry her," he took the crutch from her, moving towards the sidewalk just as his phone vibrated in his pocket, "She's working on some story regarding Congress or Senate and she doesn't need the distraction."

"Getting blown up is not a distraction," Brennan moved around him to open the diner's door for him, "What happened out there? Did you find Broadsky?"

Giving her a lopsided smile as he moved towards their table, he pulled out the chair next to the window and against the wall, "Let me get something to eat first, then I'll tell you everything, okay?"

He felt his phone vibrate again. Leaning back, he slipped the thing out of his pocket, looking across the table at Bones, "It's Caroline. Probably wants the details too."

"Then have her join us."

Extending the invitation to Caroline, he set his phone on the table as the waitress came up to their table. Once their orders were taken, he turned to look at Bones, giving her his patented Booth-y smile, "So are you staying with me? We can continue our X-Files marathon –it's been…what? A year since we last saw an episode?"

She stared at him, wondering what it was about his boyishly charming smile that always had her giving in, "Alright. I'll stay with you tonight…but only because you need someone to look out for you."

"Something only you can do."

* * *

It was three in the morning and his eyes were gritty with exhaustion. He shifted as little as possible so he wouldn't disturb Bones, who had fallen asleep against his left shoulder halfway through the fifth episode. Lowering the volume, he let himself relax into the corner of his brown leather couch, hooking his left foot on the leg of his coffee table to drag it closer and set his right leg over it, feeling relief at the elevation of his bandaged ankle.

Shifting again, he was able to move his left arm behind Bones to stretch over the back of the couch, her head sliding down to his chest. Gently brushing back her hair with his fingers, he studied her sleeping face, able to see the crescent shaped shadows her long lashes cast despite the dim lighting provided by the flickering screen of his television. Her lips were slightly opened, her breathing deep and even, hands under her cheek, legs curled to her side, socked feet tucked in between the couch cushions.

He flashed back to earlier that evening. He had watched her outside the diner as she stood by the curb with Max, that conch shell up to her ear. The look of childlike wonder on her beautiful face had his heart swelling uncomfortably with emotions he'd sworn not too long ago were no longer there. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her and had failed miserably at distancing himself once she'd returned to their table. Without realizing it, he'd reached out to her the way he'd done before –teasing words, light touches, and those deep silent conversations they used to have by simply staring into each other's eyes.

He slowly ran his fingers through her silky hair, his heart beating slow and heavy, keeping time with her breathing.

 _I told you –that was all in the past. Okay? Whatever I felt, I don't feel it anymore…except for you._

 _Perhaps this is difficult because you still have feelings for Dr. Brennan._

Letting out a sigh, he let his head fall back, wondering what kind of penance he would have to pay for lying.

Not only to Hannah and Bones, but to himself as well.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you for being patient with me! February was a crazy busy month and March looks just as nuts. Please leave behind reviews -they motivate me! Also, just FYI -I have no intention of changing anything from any of the episodes, I am simply filling in the blanks between scenes. Enjoy!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 12: The Sin in the Sisterhood**

The rippling surface of the water glittered under the sun's rays, the breeze cool against her sun warmed skin as she dipped the paddle into the water, Chris keeping pace to her left in his own kayak.

"How was Colorado," Brennan asked as she smoothly maneuvered the bright blue one-person kayak down the Seneca Creek, the wide brim hat she wore keeping her face free of the sun's rays.

"Great. Mom had a blast with all of us there for her birthday," Chris easily maneuvered over the tugging currents, "It's been a while since we've all been home at the same time."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"I'm one of six," he looked over at Brennan, easily picturing the wide blue eyes behind her sunglasses, "I'm right smack in the middle of five boys and then there's Brianna, our little sister. She's seventeen and eager to get out on her own. She's been accepted into the Air Force Academy so we celebrated that along with Mom's birthday."

Easily taking the turn up ahead, she looked over at him, "It must have been chaos growing up."

"Definitely," he gave her a grin as he kept pace with her, "It was a ton of fun too. We live outside of Denver, in a ranch with lots of space and easy access to all sorts of activities. I grew up hiking, camping, rock climbing, horse riding, you name it. Of course, being boys with just a year or two in between in age, we raised all kinds of hell."

Brennan chuckled, resting her paddle over her thighs as she tilted her head back, enjoying the sun's warming rays on her face. They paddled in comfortable silence, their paddles cutting into the glittering Seneca Creek water, their movements smooth and precise as they reached their turning point to head back to where they had started.

"How's Booth doing? His ankle finally healed up?"

Nodding, she bit her lip as she let kayak glide through the water, "He's back in fighting form, according to him. May I ask you a question?"

"Any time you need to," he tossed a grin her way, the sun's rays reflecting off his sunglasses, "You don't even have to ask for permission first."

Chuckling, she dipped her paddle into the water from the left side of her canoe, "I'm trying to understand something…Booth didn't want to call Hannah after that incident with Broadsky. She was out of town on some assignment but still –she's his girlfriend, so shouldn't he want to inform her about what happened?"

Chris let out a long breath as he looked over at her, "Didn't you say he had a concussion, and his doctor wanted someone with him overnight to make sure no complications arose?"

"Yes."

"So if he didn't tell Hannah, which I assume means she didn't return to town, who stayed with him?"

Brennan looked over at him, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth for a second before she continued, "He asked me to stay with him…we stayed up all night, watching the X-Files."

Chris kept a neutral look on his face, even though he'd learned in the past few months Brennan lacked the ability to recognize facial expressions and what they meant. From what she was sharing, he knew what was happening –Booth was having second thoughts regarding his 'not a consolation prize'. He knew if he told Brennan about his suspicion, she would likely close up on Booth, thinking it was her fault, or she would ask Booth about it straight out, which would corner Booth into saying something stupid from sheer stubbornness.

Being he didn't want either one of those two options to happen, he weighed his words carefully as he replied, "Booth, more so than anyone, would know his injuries weren't life-threatening. Perhaps he felt they were minor and no reason to disrupt Hannah's work."

Brennan's bottom lip was tucked between her teeth, the sun reflecting off her glasses as they smoothly paddled back towards the dock where they had started their five mile trek down the Seneca Creek.

"Temperance," Chris settled his paddle over his thighs, giving his arms a rest as the current carried him back, glad when she did the same, "You and Booth have trust built on years of being there for each other. It's a level of trust he and Hannah are not going to have in just months of knowing each other, even if he does love her. It's probably why he turned to you for help, and your company, when he was hurt. He's not afraid to be vulnerable with you…you've seen him at his worse, I'm sure, as he has you."

They both began paddling, their movements unintentionally synchronized. Mulling over his words, she didn't say anything, keeping a steady pace as their kayaks cut across the sparkling water, the far off landing dock visible from their position.

Still a good mile away, she looked over at Chris as she shared a revelation she'd had years ago regarding Booth, "Our first year as partners, we were working these two different cases simultaneously. One of them involved a body found at the bottom of a river, with cement shoes. Booth brought in Agent James Kenton, who'd been working on the disappearance of a mob boss named Cugini for over two years. The other body was a young girl –Penny Hamilton. She was kidnapped and killed; her eyes were gouged out and she was left in an abandoned warehouse to be devoured by hungry dogs."

Chris stared at her, wide-eyed, as he tried not to form pictures from the gory details she was giving him. Her sun-warmed cheeks flooded with color as she jumped to the important part, "Turned out, James Kenton killed Cugini. He tried to kill me on a drive-by shooting, but I narrowly missed the bullet due to having dropped my phone. He also planted a bomb in my refrigerator, which blew up when Booth opened it to get something to drink.

"He told Kenton to look after me, which annoyed me. Needless to say, Kenton stayed by my side, and when we got news Hollingsworth, the suspect for our Hamilton case, had gone into another abandoned warehouse with another girl, I insisted on going with him when he suggested dropping me off at the lab. Long story short, he held me at gun point, tied me up, and when I tried getting away, hit me over the head with his gun. His plan was to set up Hollingsworth for my death, and having already killed Hollingsworth and hidden his body, it would never be traced back to him."

They were lazily making their way up the creek, a yard or two away from reaching the dock, "Booth showed up out of nowhere, shot him before he could kill me. Booth pulled me off the hook I was hanging from and he…he held me while I cried."

"He saved you."

Nodding, she steered her kayak to the side of the dock, "At the cost of his own pain –he had burns, lacerations, two broken ribs and a green-stick fracture on his left clavicle."

"You learned something that day, didn't you?"

"Yes," nimbly stepping out of the kayak, she pulled it up the bank, the water cold against her sun warmed legs, "I learned I could trust him, implicitly. He would ensure my safety, even at the expense of his own well-being."

Chris pulled his bright orange kayak next to hers, about to say something but her ringing cell cut him off. He pulled both kayaks out of the water, the paddles safely put away inside them as Brennan unzipped the waterproof pack around her waist where she had stowed away her phone, wallet and keys.

Looking at the screen, she swiped her thumb across the screen, bringing the phone up to her ear, "Hello Booth."

" _Hey, Bones. We've got a body in the middle of a cornfield. How about I swing by the lab in thirty minutes to pick you up?"_

"Oh," Brennan looked at her watch, quickly estimating in her head how much time she would need, "I'm not at the lab."

" _You're not? It's the middle of the week."_

"I took the day off to go kayaking."

" _Kayaking?"_

"Yes."

" _Oh…where?"_

"Great Seneca Creek. As soon as we get the kayaks stored, I'll head to my apartment, shower and get dressed –how about I meet you there?"

" _Nah, I can pick you up at your apartment –crime scene is way out there in the boonies, no point in taking two vehicles. Who'd you go kayaking with?"_

"Chris," Brennan adjusted her baseball hat, giving Chris a smile of appreciation as he proceeded to take the kayaks up to the parking lot where his all-terrain vehicle was, "If you give me an hour, I should be ready."

" _Okay, great…Chris Markham?"_

"Yes," Brennan pulled the keys to her Prius out of the waterproof pouch, "I'll see you in an hour."

" _Sure, sure."_

* * *

Booth stared at the phone in his hand, eyebrows pulled low as he frowned at the screen, "What the hell?"

Hannah walked into the bedroom, where he'd gone to get ready soon after the call on the dead body interrupted their movie, "What's wrong?"

"Bones…she spent the day kayaking, with Chris."

"Who's Chris?"

Bones placed the phone on the dresser, turning his attention back to his shirt, which he'd been buttoning up when he'd called his partner, "This helicopter pilot she befriended –we met him during the Eames case. He had a thing for Dr. Lauren Eames. That week she disappeared on me, she was spending it with him."

Hannah chuckled as she sat at the foot of the bed, leaning back on her hands to watch Booth finish dressing, "Good for her."

"What? No, not good for her," Booth turned to glare at Hannah, his tie hanging around his neck, "She doesn't know anything about this guy. Hell, he could be some kind of pervert or deviant, what with her track record on guys."

Sitting up, she crossed her legs as she leveled her eyes on her boyfriend, "She's moving on, Booth. She deserves to be happy."

"I know that," Booth turned his eyes back to the mirror, motions sharp and abrupt as he knotted his tie, "What if this guy isn't good enough for her? We did a perfunctory check on him…yeah, that's what I need to do –a better background check."

"You're going to run a background check on Temperance's boyfriend?"

Pulling on his suit jacket, he ensured the knot on his tie was straight before looking over at Hannah, "He's not her boyfriend –they're just friends."

"For now."

He glowered at her, saying nothing as he walked out of the bedroom, grabbing his laptop from the coffee table before setting it up on his kitchen table. The silence was heavy despite the clacking of the keyboard keys as he methodically typed away.

"Seeley."

Standing in the middle of the living room, she crossed her arms over her chest, eyes trained on him as he kept his own eyes on the information his search was generating, "What, Hannah?"

"How many of the men in Temperance's life have you done background checks on?"

He still didn't look up, his frown deepening as he kept reading, "Considering she once dated a guy who turned out to be in a cult, and then there was that guy who killed his brother because a witch told him to –I've made sure any guy she was interested in is in the up and up."

"Are you serious?"

The sound of incredulity in her voice finally had him looking up, frustration showing on his face, "Yeah. She's my partner, Hannah. I look after her and make sure she's safe, in every way possible."

Hannah stared at him, her throat tight as she nodded, "Partner…right."

Turning on her heel, she slipped her socked feet into her boots, which she'd left beside the couch. Zipping them up before grabbing her black trench coat from the coat rack, she looked over her shoulder when Booth called out, "Where are you going?"

"Into the office," she put on her coat, picking up her messenger bag and slinging it over her shoulder, "I'm going to see if there's anything new for me to work on. You keep looking into your partner's boyfriend."

"He's not her –"

"Sorry," Hannah gave him a tight smile before heading down the short hallway towards the front door, "Her friend."

He closed his eyes as the door closed behind Hannah, the weight of guilt and regret heavy on his shoulders. The more he allowed himself to think about Bones and her confession, the more chaotic his thoughts and feelings were becoming.

Deciding to put the whole situation with Hannah in the back burner, he turned his attention back to the detailed report on Christopher James Markham. There were no red flags, no suspicious gaps in his work history, nothing standing out as potential problems. For all intent and purposes, he was a law abiding citizen, as far as the government was concerned. Then again, so was Will Hastings until DNA trace proved he'd decapitated his own brother out in the Virginia woods.

Leaning back in his chair, he let out a long breath as he tried to figure out how he was going to go about learning more about Chris Markham and his place in Bones' life. Catching sight of the clock beside his refrigerator, he stood up, closing his laptop and moving across the living room, grabbing his trench coat on the way out of his apartment, absently ensuring it was locked before he headed down the stairs and out to his SUV, still trying to figure out how to bring up the topic of Bones' growing friendship with the helicopter pilot.

* * *

Brennan looked over at Cam as she stepped back from the remains, "Are you prepared to remove the body?"

"Yeah," Cam nodded, looking over at the techs gathering soil samples for Hodgins before stepping towards the black body bag beside the body, "I got the bag right here."

"Forget about the bag –you need a tarp," he looked around the corn field, the sound of rolling thunder swelling, bringing with it the scent of rain, "Now. This is about to turn into Woodstock."

"Oh, uh," Cam looked over at Brennan and Booth, "Which way is the car?"

Looking around the field, Brennan grimaced as all she saw was miles and miles of golden corn stalks, "I have no idea. We didn't anticipate rain."

Cam grabbed the tarp one of the techs handed her as the swelling thunder broke with a loud crash, bringing with it torrential rain, "Yeah, you never know –whoa!"

"Let's cover him up before he's soup."

Rain fell in sheets as Cam hurriedly spread the tarp over the body with the help of the tech and Brennan.

Booth pulled his coat over his head, reaching out to grab his partner's arm, "Let's go, Bones, before we drown out here!"

They dived into the corn stalks, Booth drawing her into his side to try to keep her as dry as possible under his coat. Several minutes of running through the fields, Brennan stopped to wipe her dripping bangs off her face, turning to look at Booth who stared down at her with a big grin, "I think we're lost."

"Ya think," Booth chuckled as he looked around them, then down at her, stepping in closer as he gave her a teasing grin, his brown eyes twinkling, "Want to be the periscope again?"

She stared up into his eyes, her own lips spreading into a smile that had Booth's chest tightening in an entirely familiar and pleasant way, "I don't think that will work –the rain has rendered everything monochromatic."

"So we just keep wandering," Booth reached out to take her hand, pulling her along with him as they slogged through the muddying fields, pushing aside stalks to ensure they wouldn't swipe at their faces, "Ever seen Children of the Corn?"

Looking up at him, she gripped his hand tighter as mud sucked at the soles of her gum boots, "I'm assuming that's a fictional movie, as corn cannot propagate children."

"Yeah, Bones," he grinned down at her as they kept walking, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of her soft hand, "It's a scary movie…we should watch it."

Rolling her eyes, Brennan reached up to, once again, push back the wet hair plastered to her face, "I feel like we're walking in circles."

Stopping once again, he pulled her in closer in an effort to keep the buffeting rain from hitting her. They stood in the middle of the corn field, rain falling hard on them as they stared at each other, the familiar tension building between them until Booth spoke with a twinkle in his velvet brown eyes, "Remember the mummy in the hay bale maze?"

"Yes," Brennan tilted her head, grinning when he pulled out his keys, pressing a button to set off the SUV alarm, "Brilliant, Booth!"

"Always the tone of surprise," Booth teased her as they started walking once more, "Don't let go, Bones. I don't want to lose you out in these creepy corn fields."

"I won't."

* * *

Booth easily navigated the country roads as they listened to music, Bones using one of his spare t-shirts to dry her hair, which she'd pulled out of its ponytail.

Booth looked over at her then turned his attention to the road, "So, uh…you've been spending quite a bit of time with that helicopter pilot, uh?"

Bones lowered the damp shirt to her lap, "Well, when our schedules allow it. He works two to three shifts a week, and I have my own work that keeps me busy but we try to do something at least once a month, more if it's possible."

He nodded as he tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel in time with the song currently playing, "So it's, uh, getting serious between you two?"

Her head tilted slightly as she gave him a quizzical look, "How do you mean?"

"Well, you know," Booth could feel the heat rising on his face, but it had nothing to do with embarrassment at bringing up the uncomfortable topic that was none of his business, come to think of it, "Have you two, uh…you know."

"Are you alluding to sexual intercourse?"

Letting out a frustrated breath, he nodded as he refused to look at her, "Yeah."

"Sexual intercourse is not a dynamic of our relationship," Bones kept her eyes on Booth, wondering what he was thinking and feeling but unable to tell from the expression on his face, "He's simply a good friend and a…confidant. Someone who is able to explain things I find confusing in a way I can comprehend."

Booth wanted to argue he was the one to always do that but knew the things she was probably finding confusing involved him, so he kept his jealousy at her having another confidant that wasn't him to himself, "So, uh…he ever been married?"

She shrugged, turning to look out the window, the still heavy rain obliterating any passing scenery, "I've not asked him."

"Where's he from?"

"Colorado," she answered, a shiver running through her which had Booth adjusting the heat in the car and tilting one of the vents towards her, "His family has a ranch outside of Denver."

"A ranch, uh," Booth bobbed his head to the song, keeping his expression neutral as he kept subtly digging, "Siblings, both parents alive?"

"He's the middle of five boys and has a seventeen year old sister," Bones turned to look at him once again, "Both his parents are alive and healthy. In fact, he spent his vacation time with his family to celebrate his mother's birthday. Wasn't all this basic information disclosed on his background check?"

He looked out his window in an effort to hide the blush rising on his face, "I'm just looking out for you, Bones."

"Why?"

Turning to look at her, he stared into her blue eyes, feeling his heart swell as he caught sight of the vulnerability she was feeling, "You're my partner, Bones, and my best friend. I'll always look out for you."

She was drowning in his velvet brown eyes, her heart beating fast against her sternum as they turned their attention back to the road, but not before Booth caught the soft smile on her face.

* * *

It had been so long since he'd heard her laugh like that, and although it was totally unprofessional and inappropriate, he couldn't help egging her on, "Poisoned, shot, and rolled in poo-poo."

Bones laughed, blue eyes bright as she gave him a playful smile, "Twit."

He laughed, responding quickly, "Chowder head."

"Numbskull."

Their laughter mingled harmoniously, giving Booth a sense of peace he hadn't felt in such a long time.

Shaking his head, he gave her a big smile, "We really are terrible."

"We're terrible," she agreed with him.

"We're bad."

Giggling, she took in a deep breath before straightening her face in an attempt to get some control of herself, "We're really terrible."

The silence was easy between them, but Booth still hadn't had enough of her laughter, so looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, he whispered, "Doofus."

That was all it took to get her started all over again.

* * *

He slid the fake books over to hide his gun safe, letting out a long breath as he hung up his leather jacket as he tossed his keys into the ceramic bowl on the side table. Pouring himself a couple of fingers of his best scotch, he sat in the middle of his sofa, toeing off his Vans before resting his feet on the coffee house, the silence in the apartment pressing in on him as he sipped the smooth alcohol.

 _What if you let that person get away?_

 _That person's not going anywhere._

He hadn't spoken without thinking –no, he'd been doing a lot of thinking. For the last few months, thinking over his decisions, over his relationships, over everything in his life had been all he'd been able to do.

He loved Hannah…he really did but…

He hadn't lied to his Bones either.

 _Well, it means, Bones, that, you know, you could love a lot of people in this world, but there's only one person that you love the most._

His Bones…the one person he loved the most, would always love the most, no matter who came along before her or after her.

Sipping at his warm scotch, he closed his eyes before letting his head fall against the back of his couch as he muttered under his breath, "What a fucking mess."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you all for the beautiful reviews! I enjoy seeing the support for this story. I want to share -I am not out to change any of the episodes, I am simply filling in the blank spots.**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 13: The Daredevil in the Mold**

"I don't want to be your age and wind up like you."

 _What? What the hell did Sweets say?_

Booth placed his drink on the bar top, looking over at the obviously tipsy psychologist, "What'd you say?"

"I don't," Sweets' inebriated state made him blind to the look on Booth's face, "You've never been married…and that…that's sad to me."

"What?"

Leaning into the bar, Sweets gave Booth a pitying look, "I don't want that to be where my life is headed, you know?"

Booth stared wide-eyed at Sweets, thinking about where his own life was heading…he loved Hannah, she wasn't a consolation prize…but Bones…oh God, what the hell was he doing?

 _Well, how do you know which person you love the most when you're confused by chemical messages traveling throughout your limbic system?_

 _You just do._

He did…he knew. Hell, he'd always known.

 _Well, then, let's go for a different outcome here, alright? Let's just –hear me out, alright? You know, when you talk to older couples who, you know, have been in love for 30 or 40 or 50 years? Alright, it's always the guy who says "I knew." I knew. Right from the beginning…_

He'd known…from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her, he'd known.

 _Do you believe in fate?_

 _I'm that guy, Bones, I'm that guy. I know._

So what the hell was he doing with Hannah? What the hell was he doing –she wasn't a consolation prize but, oh, fuck, Bones…his Bones…she was the one he loved the most…the one he would willingly, without hesitation or guilt, kill for…die for…

 _And if that person falls out of love and meets someone else, those selfless acts would suddenly appear to be dangerously irresponsible, wouldn't they?_

He'd done so much for her, had crossed so many lines, even broken the very law he was sworn to uphold, so what the hell was he doing with Hannah?

Hannah…Hannah, whom had been there for him when he had needed someone, who had given up so much for him…

 _I put in a request to be assigned to the Washington press core…that was before I realized how much I hated waking up alone._

 _Because I'm crazy about her. Because my life is just way better when we're together, right? Which is why I'm happy. The past is the past. Okay? I'm happy, Sweets._

He couldn't do this –he couldn't leave Hannah for Bones. Bones was…hell, he never knew where he stood with her, so why was he letting himself doubt and wonder?

Why was he starting to doubt what he had with Hannah?

 _I'm not convinced that loving someone is worth it…_

 _Love is a chemical process which causes delusion. An intellectually rigorous person would never get married._

She had always been clear about her views on love and marriage…and if he wanted to achieve his goal of being a husband to a woman who loved him beyond logic and understanding, then he couldn't…

 _I don't have your kind of open heart…I –I am not a gambler; I'm a scientist. I can't change. I don't know how. I don't know how…_

Dammit to hell! Hannah was not a consolation prize and if he wanted a life that included marriage and family, then he damn well was going to prove it.

In the back of his mind, he could hear Hannah's voice.

 _I'm not the marrying kind, Seeley._

He chose to ignore it because he knew she loved him, and she knew he was the marrying kind, and he knew they would be together because they loved each other and nothing else mattered and without thinking he jumped on Sweets' enthusiastic declaration to propose to Daisy.

"Yeah," Booth gave the young shrink a big grin as he nodded to himself, "Well, you know what? I'm gonna propose to Hannah."

Sweets stared at him, brown eyes wide as he let out a drawn out, "What?!"

"Yeah!" Booth took a drink of his scotch, the scorching heat of the alcohol settling in his gut as it competed with the uncomfortable burn in his heart, "I-I've been planning it for a while now."

He was a liar…a fucking liar…but this time around, he was going to get what he wanted, come hell or high water.

* * *

"What are your plans for this weekend?"

Brennan clicked on the file she needed, moving some of her folders around her desk to better position her keyboard, "Not entirely sure. We're working on this case and I'm not entirely sure if we'll have it solved before Friday."

Chris chuckled as he took a sip out of the water bottle she had given him when he'd walked into her office, "I was thinking, if your weekend frees up, we can go up for another flying lesson. You've still got twenty-five hours to complete before taking your pilot's test."

Brennan looked away from the computer screen to give him a smile, "Allowing for time, I shall be able to take the test by the end of this month."

"I've checked the calendar," Chris rested his right ankle on his left knee, shifting lower in the chair to get comfortable, "The closest available day is the fourteenth of March. I went ahead and put your name down, so we've got six weeks to get your hours completed."

"Four hours a week," Brennan looked at the calendar on the corner of her screen, able to see she had quite a bit of obligations and commitments for the next eight weeks, "I may have to shift some things around but I think it's doable."

"We can only do two hours at a time," Chris rested the bottle on his thigh, wondering if it was her genius that made her so committed to succeeding in everything she tried, "And ten of those hours need to be night time flying."

She nodded, Angela's sudden appearance cutting off what she was about to say.

"Hey, sweetie," Angela stopped a couple of feet into Brennan's office, "Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you had company."

"This is my friend Chris," Brennan gestured towards him before she looked his way, "This is my best friend Angela Montenegro."

Standing up, he stepped forward to shake Angela's hand, an eyebrow quirking as she gave him a toothy smile, her slanted eyes sweeping him from head to toe, "Well, Chris the helicopter pilot. I've heard so much about you."

"All good, I hope," Chris release her hand, watching as she placed it on the slight swell of her baby bump, "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you," grinning, she ran her hand over her belly, letting out a grin as the little peanut rolled under her caress, "We're definitely excited."

"When are you due?"

"I still have a long ways to go," Angela looked over at Brennan, "I'm done with the bike autopsy, by the way. Thought you'd like to see the results."

"I definitely would," standing up, she grabbed her lab coat from the back of her chair, looking over at Chris, "I'll give you a call and let you know about this weekend. Would that be satisfactory?"

"Sure," Chris followed behind them, his thumb hooked to the pocket of his jeans as he kept the half full water bottle in his other hand, "I have the weekend free so give me a call whenever you're free to go up."

"Of course."

Grinning, he returned Angela's wave before veering off towards the glass double doors leading into the Lego-lab. Making his way out of the building and onto the outside parking lot, he dug into his pocket for his keys, stopping at the sound of his name being called out.

Turning on his heel, he stood by his car as he was approached by a man he'd only met once but had heard much about, "Special Agent Booth. How are you doing today?"

"Doing alright," Booth slipped his hands into his pockets, suit jacket pulled back to reveal his sidearm, "You visiting Bones?"

Leaning against his car, he gave a single nod, "Came to see if she wanted to do something this weekend."

"Uh," Booth nodded, brown eyes assessing the man spending so much time with Bones, "You two dating?"

Letting out a chuckle, he straightened and opened the driver side door to his car, "If I recall correctly, Temperance doesn't like the word dating. She says it has a restrictive connotation to it."

"You ever been married?"

He stopped before getting into the car, resting his arm along the top of the opened door, "Not even close."

"Any kids?"

"Not for the foreseeable future," Chris finally had enough, stepping out from behind the door to square off with the idiot posturing before him, "Let me give you some useful advice, Agent Booth."

Booth didn't reply, simply crossed his arms over his broad chest as he stared at Chris, admiration flickering briefly when the helicopter pilot didn't look away.

"Do what's right by Temperance or let her go."

* * *

He was going to have to let her go.

Hannah…Bones…Hannah…Bones…

The never ending tug of war within him was driving him crazy and it had to come to an end. He'd made a choice and although his twisting gut was burning, he was going to see this through and hope to God his gut was wrong, for once.

"I'm going for it. I love Hannah. And I'm getting her…this one."

Sweets gaped at the ring Booth was pointing at, words coming out in a strangled whisper, "That's bigger than the last one."

"You're a wonderful man," the sales lady gave him a smile, eyes shiny with emotion, "A wonderful, wonderful man."

"I'm quite moved myself," Sweets nodded, wrinkling his nose to keep from sniffling as he blinked back tears.

Booth nodded, letting out a breath as the sales woman walked away from where they were with the ring and his credit card. His heart was beating hard against his ribs, and his damn gut was roiling with anxiety and trepidation.

This was stupid…so damn stupid. Why was he doing this? He just knew it wasn't going to end well –but he was going to push through and hope for the best.

* * *

She stared at the little black box in his hand, sucking in a breath as he opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Looking up into his velvet brown eyes, she could feel her heart beating fast as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I, uh…marry me," Seeley stared down at her, the soft smile on his face making her wish she could find a way to make it all stop, "I want you to be my wife…"

"Oh, Seeley," swallowing back a sob, Hannah took in a deep breath, her blue eyes never leaving his face, heart breaking at the pain she was going to inflict on him, "I love you…I really do…but I can't."

She blinked back tears as his smile dropped, his brown eyes shuttering as the sparkle that had been there disappeared; "I'm just not the marrying kind."

"I am."

"I know," she swallowed with some difficulty, letting out a soft breath, "I know you are. I thought we would have more time before we got to this. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

Closing her eyes as he turned away from her, Hannah could feel the distance growing in more ways that just physically. Letting out a breath, she looked to where he stood, leaning against the stone balustrade, her shoulders dropping as she moved to stand beside him.

The soft lapping of the water was the only sound before she finally took in a breath and spoke, "What happens now?"

"What do you think happens now," Seeley wouldn't look at her, shaking his head as he let out a soft scoff, "Now."

"Can we just go back?" She moved in closer, looking up at him, wishing she could look into his eyes but all she could see was the tight line of his squared jaw, "I'll walk in here, you tell me how good I look, I'll say thank you, we kiss, we'll have a nice dinner like…like this never happened. We can just…go back."

Her heart lodged up in her throat as he turned his head to look at her, the raw anger and hurt in his eyes emotions she had never seen in him before. As he looked away from her, she tried to catch her breath, "Okay…your turn. What happens now?"

His lack of response had her biting her lip, eyes burning as she gave a small nod, "I'll get my stuff out of your place."

"How much time do you need?"

That was it? He wasn't going to fight for her, find a different solution?

"To get out of your place…or to get over you?"

Once again, no response so she turned to walk away, throat tight as she fought back tears. Taking a few steps, she stopped then turned back, watching him for a second before approaching him again, "I do love you, Seeley. I don't think we're done, but I can see we're done for now. I'm just not the marrying kind."

"You already said that," the coldness in his voice cut right through her, and she couldn't help reminding him, "I've said it plenty of times before. I guess you weren't listening."

She watched him for a couple of heartbeats before turning away, every step she took reminding her of how stupid she'd been to get involved with a man she knew was the forever kind. She hadn't thought it would go this far –she was certain it would, with time, burn out and they would part as friends, both better than before for having known each other.

She'd known for the longest time, since the beginning really, that Seeley Booth was a one-woman man who had given his whole heart away long before they met, but she'd wanted to experience what being loved by a warrior with a lion heart would be like. She had thought he would make her see the beauty of roots and forever, but she was a wanderer at heart.

Pulling her phone out of her purse, she dialed the number of the one person she knew would know how to help him through the pain and disillusionment.

" _Hannah, hello. Aren't you meeting Booth for dinner?"_

She sniffed back the urge to cry as she headed down the brightly lit street, "I was…Temperance, I'm…I'm getting my stuff out of Seeley's apartment. He…he needs you."

" _What happened?"_

Letting out a soft sigh, she knew she needed to find the best way to share what had happened without throwing up any more roadblocks between those two, "We…it's not going to work, Temperance. He's the forever kind and…I am not. I realized…as much as I love him…and I really do…I don't love him enough to give him what he needs. I hope you do."

" _Hannah –"_

"Listen to me, Temperance," she stopped before a large picture window, the tears she'd been holding back finally breaking free, making silent paths down her cheeks as she stared at the array of jewelry before her, "I've always known…Seeley wasn't mine to keep. I gave myself to him…as much as I possibly could, but for Seeley, that wasn't enough. These last few months with him have been wonderful but…I was offered a war correspondent position in Syria a couple of weeks ago…I'll be right in the thick of things, where not many other correspondents have been willing to go and I…I signed a six month contract two days ago. I was planning on telling Seeley tonight."

" _You didn't talk it through with him first?"_

"It's my career," wiping away the tears, she took in a deep breath before turning away from the jewelry store's display, moving to the curb to flag a cab, "My decision. The point is, Seeley's hurting. Find him, Temperance, be his friend. I know with time he'll heal…I was just a brief stop to his final destination."

" _I don't know what that means."_

"You, Temperance," getting into the cab, she quickly gave the driver Seeley's address before returning her attention to her phone conversation, "You're his final destination. You're the one he's always loved, you're the one he'll have forever with if you're willing to let yourself be vulnerable. If you love him, Temperance –and I know you do –open yourself up to him. Be vulnerable, be there for him, and when you're both ready, it'll happen."

" _Hannah…will you be alright?"_

"I'll be fine," she stared out the window as the cab came to a stop, eyes moving up to the dark windows of Seeley's apartment above the liquor store, "It won't take me long to get my things and find a place to stay for the next few days."

" _I have a spare bedroom."_

"I'd rather not. It was a pleasure being your friend, Temperance. I'm a better person for having known you."

" _Please stay safe, Hannah."_

"I will do my best."

* * *

 _Way Past Midnight_

"Those are my only choices?"

She watched him as he picked up the shot glass, his quiet words heavy with sadness before he tossed back the drink, "Yeah. Those are your only choices."

Letting out a soft sigh, she held up a finger as Booth held one up too, getting the bartender's attention, "Then I'll have a drink."

Giving her a nod, he tossed back his shot, signaling for another as he tried to get his anger under control. It was a vicious cycle –the angrier he got, the more he drank, the more he drank, the angrier he got.

He was beyond stupid –a total fucking idiot is what he was. Hannah had been right –she'd said it plenty of times but he'd ignored it.

What the hell was the matter with him? How was it he kept forcing the issue?

First Rebecca, whom he'd known had plans for a law career and was as independent as any woman could possibly be. He'd done the stupid thing and had proposed, but only because they were waiting for that stupid stick to turn positive. He'd loved her, there was no doubt about it, but he'd also known she wasn't in the same place he was. Although, at that moment as they waited, his main concern had been having a child out of wedlock.

Tossing back another drink, he couldn't stop from mentally flaying himself as he thought of his stupid move of asking Bones, of all people, to take a gamble on them. A woman who believed in empirical data, who saw everything in black and white, and he'd actually tried to push her into taking a risk when there was no certainty of its outcome. He'd known before he opened his big mouth it wasn't time –she wasn't ready.

And Hannah –he'd needed someone to love him…stupid, stupid, because although he loved Hannah, he was in love with Bones. Had been from the moment he first saw her almost six years ago, had known she was the one for him, but he'd flinched. He had let his damn pride get in the way and now here he was, a complete jackass, with no one to blame but himself.

Yeah, he was angry at all of them, as he'd told Bones, but it was himself he loathed.

He knew, in the whole equation of this shit storm, he was the one in the wrong…he was the one needing to change, not them.

"Booth."

He let out a hum, head hanging low as he turned his half empty glass of scotch round and round.

"Booth," Bones' hand on his arm had his body go tense, his eyes feeling heavy as he looked up at her, "Its last call, Booth."

Tossing back the last of his scotch, he signaled the bartender for his tab, frowning when Bones gave him a soft smile, "I already paid."

"You didn't have to pay for my drinks," he could hear himself slurring, his tongue feeling like it was twice its size inside his mouth…either that, or his mouth had shrunk, "I had a lot of them."

"I'm aware," she stood up, moving into his side as he struggled to get off the bar stool, "You're able to walk?"

"Of course, of course," he slung his arm over her shoulders, giving her a sloppy smile, "I drove here."

"We're taking a cab."

"Good, good," nodding, he took in a deep breath of fresh air as soon as they stepped outside, "Cab's good…I don't wanna go home, Bones. I don't wanna be alone."

She flagged down a cab, helping him slide into the backseat, successfully ensuring he didn't hit his head, "I have a spare bedroom."

"That be good," Booth let his head fall back as he slouched, turning to look at Bones, "I chucked it."

"Chucked what?"

"Ring," Booth closed his eyes, letting out a snort, "Chucked it into the river. Five thousand dollars and I chucked it into the river."

She stared at him, her sharp brain quickly connecting the dots, her heart squeezing painfully at the realization Booth had proposed to Hannah.

"She said no," he groaned as the driver took a turn a little too sharply, making him slightly nauseous, "I knew she would 'cause she told me she wasn't the marrying type, but I didn't listen. That's my problem, you know. I don't listen. I'm a dumb fuck who doesn't listen."

She wanted to tell him he was a great listener but knew in his inebriated state, he wouldn't really hear her.

"A stupid dumb fuck," his words slurred as he slid to the side until his head rested on her shoulder, "Gotta find a way to fix it…me, to fix me."

She felt the tears building up at the sound of pain in his voice, her throat tight as she gently rested her cheek on the top of his head, "You don't need to fix anything, Booth. You're fine just the way you are."

A soft snore escaped him, teasing a smile from her as she looked out the window. They were still a few minutes away from her place. Once there, she needed to figure out how to get him up to her top floor apartment.

That was the easy part, really…figuring out how to get him past this was going to involve her figuring out how to be what he needed.

Brennan couldn't help but hope this time around, she'd get it right.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I'm not entirely sure how it came about, my completing two chapters in less than two weeks, but it happened so I thought I'd go ahead and post instead of waiting until next month. Considering May and June are going to be crazy busy months for me, I am hoping I'll be able to update at least once on those months. Thank you so much for the reviews! They are such a joy to read and I get so stoked every time a new one posts! Enjoy as you read!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 14: The Bikini in the Soup**

Brennan looked up from her computer at the sound of a knock, smiling as Chris pushed away from the doorframe, "Chris, what are you doing here?"

He grinned as he came to a stop beside her desk, settling a wrapped box on top of the open file, "I came to bring you a Valentine's gift."

"Oh," she looked down at the gift wrapped in plain wrapping paper, a silver bow slapped in the middle of it, "I, uh…I didn't get you anything. I don't…celebrate Valentine's Day."

"No worries," Chris could see she was feeling uncomfortable so he ensured to clear up any misconceptions, "It's a gift from a friend, Temperance. Valentine's Day may celebrate romantic love, but it also celebrates friendship, and since you're my friend, I wanted to you to know I appreciate you."

He watched as the uneasiness disappeared, a smile starting in her light blue eyes before blossoming across her face as she carefully pulled at the taped sides, turning the flat box over to slip a nail under the tape holding the paper in place. Turning the box back over, she pulled off the top, pushing aside white tissue paper to reveal a delightfully whimsical typogram of a human skeleton in motion. Pulling the framed drawing out of the box, she studied it, seeing it was done in ink, the bones made up of their names. In the right bottom corner, she glimpsed the initials CM, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked up at Chris.

"Did you draw this?'

"Just a little hobby I indulge in whenever I have the time," Chris grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Had to do a bit of research to be able to get the correct names –didn't want to do something atrocious like use shoulder blade instead of scapula."

Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the drawing, admiring the skill and originality of the drawing, eyes following the cervical vertebra up to the swirl of names forming the skull.

"Thank you, Chris," she set the frame back in the box, setting the lid in place before she folded the wrapping paper to place in the recycle bin she kept next to her trash can, "It's an exceptionally thoughtful gift and I truly appreciate the time it took you to complete it. I only wish I had thought of getting you something."

"Don't worry about it," Chris gave her a wink as he moved to sit on the one empty chair across from her, "You got anything planned for tonight?"

"I do not," she fiddled with the mouse to her computer; "I don't like making plans for this day –too many expectations."

"Understandable," Chris stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles, "What about Booth? He got anything planned?"

"I believe he said he was going to the shooting range," letting out a soft sigh, she looked over at her friend, "As you know, he and Hannah broke up not too long ago and he's having a somewhat…aggressive approach to the aftermath."

"He's feeling angry, Temperance," Chris supplied, knowing this not just because she had told him about the whole ultimate speech Booth had given her the night Hannah walked away, but because he was a guy and he would have possibly responded the same way, "Not just at women, but at himself, and until he comes to terms with the motivation behind his actions, he'll stay angry. Don't let him push you away –you're one of the most determined people I've ever met, so use that determination to help him heal."

"I don't know how to do that," Brennan leaned back into her chair, placing her elbows on the chair's armrests, "I don't know how to get past all the anger he's holding on to."

"Just be yourself," Chris quirked an eyebrow, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees, "Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe join him at the shooting range, take him a gift."

"Booth says the only thing worth commemorating today is the Valentine's Day Massacre," tilting her head to the side, she kept her light blue eyes settled on him, "What kind of gift would I get him for that?"

"Okay, that's way out of my expertise," Chris pushed himself up to his feet, giving her a grin as he headed towards the door, "With an attitude like that, you either get drunk or kill yourself. Anyway, I'm sure your brilliant brain will come up with something meaningful."

"Yes. I am quite brilliant," Brennan straightened in her seat, paying notice to the nice blue button down shirt he was wearing with black slacks and loafers, "You have plans for tonight?"

"Got a date," his grin turned a bit rakish as he winked at her, "I'll tell you all about it when we go rock climbing next weekend."

"Rock climbing?"

He laughed at the slight edge of apprehension in her voice, "Told you I'd get back at you for making me run twenty miles."

* * *

Booth looked away from his paper target at the sound of the metal door opening, eyebrows lowering into a V as Bones walked in, pushing a cart with two wooden cases on them, "Bones, what are you doing here?"

She gave him a shy smile, gesturing towards the wooden cases, "This is my Valentine's Day gift to you."

"Come on, Bones," he settled his gun on the ledge before him, his shoulders slightly bowed forward as he moved towards the cart, "I told you."

"Just open it."

"What is it?"

She gestured toward the case furthest from her, "Just open it."

Letting out a sigh of frustration, he pulled the latches up then lifted the lid, his face lighting up with a grin of delight, "No. What?!"

He laughed as he pulled the Tommy gun out of the case, holding it up as he gave it an admiring once over; "Always wanted to fire one of these."

She smiled, lifting the lid of the second case as she watched him pull back the loading pin, "Well, you told me that Valentine's was all about the Valentine's Day Massacre for you, so I thought…is this a good idea?"

She pulled out the second Tommy gun, pulling back the loading pin as she returned is grin, "I got them from the Roaring '20s exhibit."

Laughing, he moved over to where he had been, grinning as Bones took the place to his right, eye and ear protection in place, "Great idea. Ah, you ready, Bones?"

"Ready."

"Ah! Take that, you dirty rat!"

The sound of rapid gunfire echoed in the walled in room, their laughter mingling with it as Bones pulled back the trigger, the kick of the sub-machine punching her shoulder back, but not stopping her, "Yeah, take that, you dirty rat!"

Laughing, Booth's grin couldn't possibly get any bigger as he used his best Italian accent, "I made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

Her smile spread as he turned with the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen him sport, her heart beating hard against her sternum, "Happy Valentine's Day Massacre, Booth."

They stayed until they emptied the drums, laughing and teasing each other the whole time.

Booth helped her pack up the Tommy guns, escorting her all the way back to the Smithsonian to return them. Walking beside her with his hands in the pockets of his slack as they made their way around the Roaring '20s exhibit, he jerked his chin towards a life size picture of Al Capone, "Did you know Al Capone's preferred liquor was Templeton Rye?"

"No, I did not know that," she gave him a look of surprise, her eyes sparkling as he nudged her upper arm with his elbow, his voice teasing, "I actually know something you don't?"

"I've never claimed to know it all," she wrinkled her nose at him as they walked out of the museum, "Do you think I'm a know it all?"

"Not the way you're saying it," Booth kept his pace slow and easy, their path lighted by the multiple outside lights, "I mean, you know most everything –it's just nice when I get to teach you something."

"You've taught me much, Booth," without thinking about it, she slipped her arms through his, wrapping the fingers of her other hand over his forearm, "Most of what I know is intellectual, knowledge that at times does not serve a purpose in the real world. Thanks to you, I've learned how to connect to others, how to give of myself…most importantly, I've learned to actually live and not just observe."

Booth could feel his face flushing a bit, glad the yellow pools of light were spread out enough to keep his blush a secret, "Thanks, Bones…I've learned a lot from you too, you know."

"Of course," Bones looked up at him, admiring the hard edge of his jaw, the straight line of his nose, "I've shared my knowledge and expertise with you for over six years –you're bound to learn something."

Chuckling, he shook his head, looking sideways as she looked ahead, his heart tripping slightly as a street light highlighted her beautiful face, "No, I'm not talking about the science stuff. You've taught me about patience, perseverance, and honesty. You've made me into a better agent, yes, but most importantly, you've pushed me to be a better man."

Looking up at him, she smiled as her eyes locked on his, the thrumming in her veins increasing as they stared into each other's eyes, her voice soft as she whispered, "You're the best man there is, Booth."

Clearing his throat, he looked away first, resuming their leisurely stroll, a couple of minutes of comfortable silence passing before he cleared his throat again, "So, uh –you and Chris didn't have anything planned for tonight?"

She looked up at him, trying to figure out why Booth thought there was anything more than friendship between her and Chris, "No. He came by to drop off a gift before heading out to meet his date."

"A date," Booth's eyebrows rose as he looked into her face, "On Valentine's night? How do you feel about that?"

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "Haven't given it any thought, really. He'll be sharing more when we go rock climbing next weekend."

"Rock climbing," Booth gave her a wide-eyed look before turning his attention to where they were walking, "That sounds…fun."

"I'm sure it will be," Bones stopped, Booth turning as her hand tugged at his arm, his eyes questions when he looked down at her, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anytime, Bones," Booth stared down at her, feeling himself drowning in her blue eyes.

"Why do you keep asking questions that make it seem like you think there's more than friendship between Chris and myself? I've told you before we're simply friends, nothing more."

Booth bit the inside of his cheek, raising his eyes over her head as he took in a deep breath, the faint scent of jasmine and lily filling his lungs. How could he possibly explain his reasoning behind the constant digging? He wasn't in a place to tell her it wasn't just jealousy but fear as well…fear that while he was trying to get his shit together so he could offer her more than just bits and pieces of himself, the helicopter pilot would swoop in and take her from him.

Letting out a breath, he smiled down at her, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, "Someday I'll explain it, Bones. Someday…but not today."

* * *

 _Shenandoah National Park_

"So tell me about her."

Chris grinned as he looked over to his right, where Brennan was just a couple of feet lower to where he was. A lead rope connected them, since they were climbing in tandem, and although it had been years since she'd gone rock climbing, it seemed it was all coming back to her, "Her name is Laura –remember that E.C.H.O. conference I had to go to last month?"

"The one in Chattanooga," she recalled him sharing in regards to the annual conference for the East Coast Helicopter Operations, known as E.C.H.O., "I recall you mentioning it, yes."

"That's where I met her," he dug his hand into his chalk bag, easily gaining a couple of feet of height as he shifted his hand and foot holds up the wall, "She's a flight nurse with the Air Force, based just outside of Pittsburgh. She was at the conference; we sat next to each other at one of the lectures and got to talking. Since she's stateside for the next six months, we made plans to meet again. We've had coffee and lunch…Valentine's night was our first official date."

Brennan grinned as she tightened the rope connecting her to Chris, moving several feet up the face of the cliff they were climbing, her fingers aching slightly at having to hold her weight, "Do you enjoy spending time with her?"

"I do," Chris gave the rope some slack before moving further up, the top of the cliff within sight, "She's smart, funny, sweet…and drop dead gorgeous."

"I'm glad you've found someone you can connect with," she dug the toe of her rock climbing shoe into a crevice, wiggling it to and fro to create a deeper toe hold, "Booth says all human beings need connections –not just to satisfy biological urges, but also to fulfill emotional and intellectual needs."

"Booth is correct," giving Brennan more slack on the rope, Chris pulled himself up with his right hand before grabbing onto the ledge of the cliff, "We are social creatures –even those who are introverted by nature seek to connect with others. It's in our make-up as human beings. I read an article about neuroscience and how we are wired to connect, socially, and how social pain is real pain –that whole 'he broke my heart', 'she hurt my feelings' kind of thing."

"Booth says no man is an island," Brennan pulled herself up and over the ledge, letting out a breath as she rolled to sit on her bottom, legs hanging free as Chris sat beside her, "For a long time, I've believed being alone was better than being hurt. Now, I've learned without pain, there's no joy. To live a life without either is not living at all."

"You've learned a lot from Booth, haven't you?"

"Yes," she let out another breath as she enjoyed the panoramic view spread out before them, the cumulous clouds hanging low in the horizon, the jutting mountains still retaining winter snow, "He's taught me a lot more important things than what I could ever teach him. I mean, my kind of knowledge comes from books and science but his…his comes from living, from experiencing everything life can offer and not simply observing. I've spent too much of my life simply observing and never participating."

"From where I'm sitting, Temperance, you're no longer just an observer," Chris leaned back, supporting his weight with his hands behind him, the rock smooth and warm under his fingertips, "You've shown a willingness to grow and to be vulnerable…nothing more alive than that."

She nodded, drawing her legs up to wrap her arms around them, her chin resting on her knees, "It is frightening…I haven't felt this scared since I was fifteen years old and being taken from my home by a social worker. Sometimes…sometimes I feel like I'm choking, unable to breathe and all I want to do is draw in within myself, keep myself separate and unreachable so I can breathe again."

"But is it really breathing," Chris studied her profile, watching her study the view before them, the breeze lifting strands of hair that had slipped free from her ponytail, "I know you're afraid, Temperance, of letting go of your…imperviousness, so to speak. In the end, you'll be a much better person for it, though."

Turning her head to face him, she rested her cheek on her forearm, "Yes, you are correct."

He laughed, sitting up as he gathered the rope between them, shuffling back to stand up, "I am glad you think so. Ready to head down? There's a path that goes down that-a-way, right to where we started."

Their hike down was filled with conversation, Chris sharing more about Laura, and in return, Brennan told him what she'd given Booth as a Valentine's Day gift.

"Seriously," he stared at her in shock before a burst of laughter escaped him, "That had to have been the best time he'd ever had. I'm not much for firearms but even I appreciate how awesome Tommy guns are. You are definitely one of a kind, Temperance."

"Considering I don't have an identical twin, yes I am."

Chuckling, he unclipped his bottle water from the bag slung over his shoulder, which held his rock climbing harness and ropes, "So, I was wondering…Laura is going to be in DC next month –would you like to join us for dinner? I've told her about you and she's excited to meet you –says she loves your books."

"I would love to meet her."

"You can bring Booth," he offered, knowing if anything would get the agent past his worries regarding their friendship, it would be seeing him with another woman, "If he wants to come, of course."

"I will ask."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me and I am not getting any profit (except satisfaction and joy from reviews) for this story.**

 **AN: Sorry for taking so long -life has been crazy hectic with two jobs on my schedule. Enjoy and leave many awesome reviews!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 15: The Killer in the Crosshairs**

Laura Marie Wiegert was not what Booth had expected. Considering men tended to have a type when it came to women –in looks and personality –it was a surprise to see Laura was as opposite in looks to Lauren Eames as it could possibly get.

She was small in stature, curvy instead of slim, with bright green eyes and curly strawberry-blond hair down to the middle of her back. She had a small nose and a scattering of freckles over the bridge and across her cheekbones. Her lips were generous and prone to smiling, her teeth perfectly straight, probably due to braces as a child. She had this full bodied laugh that made Brennan smile, her eyes always dancing with an inner joy she willingly shared with those around her.

"How long have you been in the Air Force?"

Laura's smile grew as she placed her fork down, picking up her glass of lemonade as she answered Booth's question, "Four years. I've been a flight nurse for the last two and it's been quite an experience."

Bones took a sip of her red wine before asking a question of her own, "Are you planning on making the Air Force into a career?"

"Not at all," Laura smiled, reaching up to tuck a curl behind her ear, "I have two more years, including the six months I'm stationed stateside. I've been working with E.C.H.O. in planning my next steps once I'm done with my commitment to the Air Force."

Booth steadily made his way through his sirloin steak, listening to Bones and Laura as they asked each other questions, getting to know each other, all the while watching Chris as he occasionally interjected a comment or observation.

Booth was glad he had agreed to join Bones on this double dinner date or whatever the hell it was –seeing the look of awe on Chris' face every time he looked at Laura settled a lot of Booth's worries regarding the friendship between the pilot and his partner.

"What motivated you to start writing murder mysteries," Laura asked as she wiped her mouth, setting the napkin to the left of her plate, her hand staying in place as Chris placed his own over it, their fingers interlocking.

"Well," Bones let out a soft puff of air, her eyes moving over to look at Booth before returning to Laura, "I, uh…I met Booth and we worked on a case…it was an interesting experience, considering up to that point I only ever worked with ancient remains. Learning the forensics of modern murders was intriguing for me and, um…the idea of that first book kind of just…came to me soon after Booth and I parted ways."

Booth tried not to smile, dropping his eyes to his plate where all that was left was a bite size piece of his steak and some garlic mashed potatoes. He'd always suspected he'd been the catalyst for that very first book Bones' had written despite her denials to the contrary.

"I've written before, of course," Bones fiddled with her fork for a bit, "Articles for academic journals, technical manuals…learning how to write fiction has been a rather enjoyable experience."

"Do you find inspiration from real life situations?"

He cleared his throat as he picked up his beer, giving Bones a look of innocence as she looked over at him, "It's a good question, Bones. You know what I've always wondered –are the characters in your books inspired by the people in your life?"

"Oh," Laura's smile widened as she looked over at Booth then back at Bones, "Are they?"

Booth grinned as Bones glared at him, shrugging as he tipped back his beer bottle, "Inquiring minds would like to know, Bones."

"The characters in my books are fictional," Bones picked up her wine glass and took a sip, wrinkling her nose at Booth as she continued, "And are loosely –very loosely –based on…people I may or may not know."

"That's a very nebulous answer to such a simple question, Temperance," Chris grinned at his friend, leaning back in his seat as he brushed his thumb over Laura's knuckles, enjoying the feel of her small hand in his much larger one.

Booth let out a deep chuckle as a faint blush stained his partner's cheeks, "Come on, Bones. Tell us…is Agent Andy Lister supposed to be me?"

Placing her near empty wine glass back on the table, she sat up straight, blue eyes sparking as she looked at him, "Fine, yes. Yes, Agent Andy Lister was inspired by you. I was…having difficulty compartmentalizing after we parted ways and I would spend nights while in Guatemala putting together these…scenes and…it is said 'you write what you know' and that is what I did."

Reaching out, he gave her hand a squeeze, brown eyes twinkling as he gave her a smile, "Its okay, Bones. I already knew Agent Andy Lister was based on me."

Laura watched them as they bantered back and forth, her mouth spreading into a smile as she leaned in close enough to whisper into Chris's ear, "You sure they're not a couple?"

Chris chuckled softly, seeing what she was seeing, "Not yet. Give it time, though. They'll eventually get their ducks in a row."

"I hope it doesn't take too long," Laura gave him a smile, her heart giving a hard thump as she looked into his brown eyes, "I think they're perfect for each other."

"I do too."

* * *

 _Three Weeks Later_

Booth grinned as he caught sight of a familiar ponytail swishing back and forth. Changing direction, he kept a steady pace as he admired her running form –shoulders back, chin up, heel to toe. As he followed her at a distance, he realized he'd never gone running with her before. He knew she liked to do all sorts of physical activities, such as biking, hiking, kayaking apparently. It was interesting they'd never ran together before, being they both liked to use running as their daily form of cardio.

Deciding to make a change on that score, he picked up his pace, reaching out to playfully tap her on the shoulder before veering around her other side, grinning as she laughed and pulled her earbuds out, "What are you doing here?"

He kept step with her, grinning as he lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "Ah, day off. Want some company?"

Her blue eyes sparkled, making him catch his breath as she threw out a teasing challenge, "You think you can keep up with me?"

Letting his grin grow, he prepared himself to speed up as he responded to her challenge, "Hey, that's my line, Bones."

He increased his speed, looking over his shoulder and laughing as she did the same, calling out to him as she placed her earbuds back in place, "Oh, no, you don't!"

He laughed, making sure to stay a few feet ahead of her, looking over his shoulder to catch sight of her determined face. He slowed down then sped up as she started to catch up to him, enjoying himself as he teased her with the possibility of her catching up to him.

It had been way too long since they'd simply spent time together, enjoying themselves in each other's company. In the last few weeks, he'd realized he'd been distant and absent in her life while he was with Hannah, especially towards the beginning of that doomed relationship.

How he couldn't see the writing on the wall when it came to Hannah, he still had yet to figure out. If anything, he chalked it up to his stupid pride…or just stupidity in general.

He felt her veer towards his left in preparation for passing him, grinning over his shoulder at her as he cut her off, pushing himself a bit harder as he took the path leading towards the coffee cart.

Slowing down, he came to a trotting stop just a few feet away from the cart, laughing when she slapped her hands against his back, "I won!"

He looked over at her as she moved to stand beside him, bending over as she worked on catching her breath, "What do you mean, you won? I got here first."

Straightening, she sucked in air as she pointed out the logic behind her victory statement, "No, you took off before me by approximately two seconds, which means that you were both mentally and physically prepared before you accelerated."

Grinning, he shook his head at her, "No, no. You're not going to science your way to a win here."

"I won, and you're buying the coffee."

"Okay, listen," he gave her a pointed look as he gestured, "I'll buy the coffee because I won, and I'm a gracious victor."

He tried not to drown in her clear blue eyes as she looked up at him, the sun haloing her and nearly causing him to lose his breath.

"So, what are you doing on your day off?"

He blinked, forcing his fuzzy brain to concentrate on what she was saying and not on how her lips looked as they shaped the words, "I don't know. You still going to that, uh, lecture thingy for the, uh, what is it? The Peloponnesian War?"

"Yeah."

"Well," he shifted his weight, swallowing as he tried to push past his burgeoning feelings, "You know, if you want some company."

She tilted her head, the little furrow between her winged brows making his fingers itch with the desire to smooth it out, "I, I don't think you'd like it. It's going to be very dry."

"It's war, Bones."

"Well," she swept her bangs out of her eyes, her high cheekbones pinked by the morning sun, "If you're sure you won't be bored."

"Of course I won't."

They moved up a spot, the guy before them putting in an order for some ridiculous drink with extra foam, no fat, and so forth so on. Booth looked sideways at Bones, tightening his lips as he saw she was trying not to laugh as the coffee cart guy tried explaining all he had to offer was straight up black coffee.

"Hey, buddy," Booth finally stepped in as he noticed the guy's agitation was growing, "There's a Starbucks down the street that way. They have all the fancy crap you want on your coffee."

The guy whipped around, his face mottled red as he opened his mouth before looking up into Booth's serious face and thinking better of it.

Brennan looked at Booth's smirking face as the guy stomped off, muttering under his breath. She felt herself flush as he bumped his shoulder into hers, very much aware of the sudden height difference, as she was wearing running shoes and not her usual heeled boots.

"I'll take two black coffees," Booth said to the coffee cart guy, pulling out his wallet from the pocket of his running pants. He exchanged money for the cups, handing one over to Bones as they stepped out of the way, "So how about I pick you up in an hour? Is it enough time for you to get ready?"

"An hour is fine," she sipped her coffee, holding it with both hands, "Why don't I just meet –"

The ring of both their cell phones interrupted her, both of them looking at each other before they pulled out their phones and checked the screen –Cam for Bones and Hacker for Booth.

"Looks like we're not making it to the lecture," Bones ended her call with Cam, slipping the phone back into the armband holder she used for running.

"A real bummer," Booth shoved his phone into the pocket of his running pants, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back as he guided her to where he'd parked, "I'll drive."

* * *

"From where I stand, you are good. Broadsky's bad."

He stared at her, his heart beating hard as he lost himself in her crystal blue eyes, seeing so many untold things as she looked back at him, her beautiful mouth tilted into a small smile as he finally smiled at her, "Thanks for standing there, Bones."

Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, before responding in a no-nonsense tone of voice, "I'm standing right beside you, Booth. Like always. Like I always will. I'm being metaphoric, of course, because we're currently sitting."

Chuckling, he tipped his beer bottle to his lips, taking a healthy swallow before bringing it back down, "Thank goodness, 'cause I thought I'd shrunk."

She brought down the glass of wine she had been about to take a sip out of, her chuckle harmonizing with his soon as she swallowed, "That's funny, because you made a joke based on relative position, which goes back thematically to our discussion of situational morality."

There was tenderness in his eyes as he studied her face, giving a slight shake of his head as he responded, "That's not why it's funny."

"Tell me another one."

He gave her a quizzical look, shaking his head as she leaned in closer, her playful smile making his heart slam hard against his ribs, "You got another joke?"

"No," he laughed as he leaned in, his elbows on the surface of the bar, "You got plans this weekend?"

Shaking her head, she set her glass to the side, resting her crossed arms on the bar, "Not as of today. You?"

"I have Parker for the weekend. I'm taking him to the county fair in Arlington. Want to join us?"

"I've never been to a county fair before."

"Really?"

"Not that I recall," she tilted her head to the side, her hair sliding against her jaw, the track lights over the bar causing it to shine, making Booth's fingers itchy with the need to run them through the soft looking strands, "There was the case where we had with the body in the haunted house."

"That doesn't count," Booth nudged her elbow with his, finishing his beer before continuing, "I'm talking Ferris wheel, bumper cars, ring toss, darts, fried Twinkies, funnel cakes, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, corndogs –"

"It sounds like a gastrointestinal nightmare," the skeptical look on her face had Booth chuckling, which turned into an out and out laugh as she continued, "I would hope you wait until after the nausea inducing rides before eating all that high caloric, sugar laden, fried food."

His shoulders shaking as he worked on calming down, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, his hand freezing against the curve of her jaw as he realized what he was doing. She stared at him, the tension between them a living thing, as familiar as an old friend. Pulling back, he cleared his throat before signaling to the bartender for another beer, "So, what do you say? Want to join us?"

"Alright," letting out the breath she'd been holding, "If Parker has no problem with me joining you two, that is."

"He won't have a problem, but I'll ask."

* * *

 _Arlington County Fair_

"That was so much fun," Parker exclaimed as he bounced between Booth and Brennan, his blond curls tumbling over his forehead, "Wasn't that fun, Bones?"

Brennan grinned at him as she combed her fingers through her disheveled hair, "It was fun, Parker."

Booth grinned as they meandered through the crowd, keeping an eye on their surroundings and the other on his son and Bones.

"How does the Tilt-A-Whirl work," Parker asked, staring up at Brennan as he slipped his hand into hers, turning to find his father and grab on to his hand.

She smiled down at him, her light blue eyes twinkling as she explained the physics behind the Tilt-A-Whirl, "The cars are attached in fixed pivot points on the platform. When it rotates, the different plates of the platform lift and drop, which result in centrifugal and gravitational forces to come into play, causing the cars to spin in different directions and at different speeds. When you add the weight of the passengers, and its distribution, it changes the variations, either creating a faster or slower motion of the cars, which results in chaotic motion."

"Cool!"

Booth laughed, knowing his son probably understood about ten percent of her explanation, but didn't point this out to either one of them. He could see Parker was having a blast hanging out with Bones; his boy had always loved his partner, had enjoyed whenever she joined them on their weekends or whenever they would head over to her place to go swimming, and although it had been a while since they've spent time with Bones, Parker and her were falling back into their old patterns of interaction, one that made him smile so much, it left his face feeling sore by the end of the day.

"Hey, look," Parker let go of his Dad's hand, pointing excitedly ahead of them, "There's an ice cream booth! Can we get ice cream, Dad? Can we please?"

He looked at Bones over Parker's head, cocking an eyebrow at her, "What do you say, Bones? Want ice cream?"

"Sure," her smile turned into a laugh as Parker gave an excited jump, slightly jerking her arm in the process. They got in line, Parker keeping them entertained with his observations regarding their experience, as well as pointing out everything they still had left to do.

Once it was their turn to order, Booth looked down at Parker, "Chocolate ice cream?"

Parker shook his head, his blond curls falling over his small forehead, "Nah, I'll have strawberry ice cream."

"I thought chocolate ice cream was your favorite now?"

Shrugging, Parker looked up at his father, shifting as he put one sneakered foot on top of the other, "For a bit it was, but strawberry ice cream will always be my very, very favorite."

Nodding in understanding, he looked over at Bones, smiling as she studied the ice cream choices written on a chalkboard, "What about you, Bones? Want to try something other than your favorite?"

Bones looked over at him, her beautiful blue eyes looking deep into his brown ones, her face set in a serious expression as if she were searching for something before she smiled, "No, I have no need to try anything other than my favorite."

He looked over at the guy manning the ice cream booth, unable to keep the smile from his face, "Can we have three ice cream cones? Two strawberry, one vanilla."


	9. Chapter 9

**TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 16: The Blackout in the Blizzard**

"Just, uh…I'm just angry. I'm angry."

Bones looked over at him, relief flashing in her eyes as he further explained, "Not at you."

Letting out a soft sigh, she gave a small nod, "Okay."

"I just need time, that's all. I just need time to kind of…hang back and find that inner peace before I…you know…get back out there," looking over at her, he cocked an eyebrow, "You know what we're talking about here, right?"

"Yes."

"You and me…you know, and…and love…happiness and life and fate."

Tilting her head to the side, she gave him a pointed look, "I don't believe in fate. But I know what we're talking about," biting the inside of her cheek, she let out a breath before speaking up again, "I am improving."

He stared at her, a bit confused as to what she was referring to, "Improving?"

"Yes," she nodded decisively, a soft smile stretching her full lips, "I'm…quite strong."

Letting out a soft scoff of incredulity at her statement, he had to point out the one thing he'd never doubted, "Yeah, well, you've always been strong."

She pursed her lips, wanting to find a simple way to help him understand what she was referring to, "You know the difference between strength and imperviousness, right?"

Leaning back into the stadium seat he sat on, he stared at her somewhat perplexed, "No, not if you're going to get all scientific on me."

She let out a soft laugh before continuing with her explanation, "Well, uh…a substance that is impervious to damage doesn't need to be strong."

He nodded, softly humming to let her know he understood where she was going with her explanation.

"When you and I met, I was an impervious substance," she cocked her head to the side, eyes bright and a smile of accomplishment slowly blossoming across her face, "Now I am a strong substance."

He gave a nod, studying her face with tender eyes, "I think I know what you mean."

Without warning, she felt shyness flooding her as she gave voice to her inner hopes and dreams concerning him and her and love and happiness, "A time could come when…you aren't angry anymore and…I'm strong enough to risk losing the last of my imperviousness. Maybe then, we could try to be together."

He could see the vulnerability she was feeling, could feel her letting go of another bit of that imperviousness she referred to, could feel a bit of the anger he held inside slip away.

He grinned as he picked up a clean hot dog paper holder, ripping it and handing her half as he picked up one of Parker's school pencils left behind on his cluttered coffee table, "I am going to write down a date and guess what that time is, all right? I want you to do the same."

Confused, she looked at the paper she'd taken from him, "Why?"

"Because," he leaned forward, resting the paper on the table as he scribbled, "When I was a kid, if I wanted something really, really bad, I'd write it down on a piece of paper and I'd burn it."

Straightening up, he looked over at her, seeing the look of disbelief as she stared at him, "It was like a spell. It was bound that my wish would come true."

Brennan couldn't help laughing at the ridiculousness of his words, "Why?"

"Why? Because it…" he spread out his arms in an effort to visually explain his current theory of wish making, "Well, you know, you burn it and it was released into the universe."

There were times when Brennan just couldn't understand Booth's thought process, "It's just smoke, Booth…particulates with no special powers."

He tried not to show his annoyance as he gave her a pointed look, "Fine. Then, what do we have to lose? Go ahead. Come on."

Letting out a breath of frustration, she took the pencil he offered, "Okay, how does this work?"

"Well," he looked at the paper he'd written on, folding it in half, "Write down…what you think."

She leaned forward, scribbling as she looked over her shoulder at him, "Don't look."

Grinning, he leaned to the side, trying to catch a glimpse over her shoulder, "I'm not looking."

"Okay."

Setting the pencil down, she moved to sit sideways on her seat, her knee touching Booth's as he held his piece of paper over the burning candle, "We'll burn it, okay? On three. Ready? One…"

"Wait," she looked over at him, "we're going on three?"

"Let's just –"

"On three or after three?"

Giving her a look of annoyance, he let out a sigh, "Bones, let's just burn it together, okay?"

"Okay."

"One, two, three."

Brennan held hers over the flame, watching the paper ignite as Booth pulled his burning paper out, "Ah –kay, I think you were a little late on that one."

"No," she looked over at him, calmly pulling her paper out as Booth began waving his in the air, "No, I think you humped the gun."

"Humped the gun," Booth laughed as he fought with the burning paper currently trapped between his fingers, "You mean jumped the gun...humped the gun."

"I think you were a little lagging," lifting a shoulder in a shrug, she watched with slight alarm as Booth continued to wave the burning paper over his head, "Don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," he tossed the blackened paper into an empty glass on the table, watching as Bones did the same, "I just don't want the house to burn down, that's all. I think you were late coming in with it."

"No," she smiled at him, shaking her head, "I put mine in exactly on the count of three."

"On three or after three?"

"On three."

He gave her a teasing grin, picking up his half empty beer bottle, "I think you put it in after three."

"This conversation is going nowhere," Bones leaned back in her seat, taking the box of popcorn with her, "Perhaps we should just agree to disagree and move on."

Chuckling, he reached over to grab a handful of her popcorn, "So I'm thinking…how about we share some secrets with each other…about each other?"

She stared at him with a contemplative look, munching on her popcorn before she leaned forward to get the bottle of beer that was still more than halfway full, "Why?"

"Something to do," he lifted a shoulder in a shrug, gesturing towards the windows behind them, "It's still snowing hard so there's not many options on entertainment, what with the electricity being out and all."

"I'm not sure what kind of secrets you want us to share."

"I'll go first," he stretched out his legs, slouching slightly in the stadium seat, comfortable silence settling as he thought of something regarding her he'd been keeping to himself; "Ah! Remember the case we had over at Little Salvador? The one with the gangbanger you beat up outside the elevators?"

"I recall," she took another sip of her beer; "You were late to the funerals."

"There was a reason for that," he quirked an eyebrow at her, his smile barely detectable as she looked over at him, "Which you wouldn't tell me. You told me it was more important at the time, to do what you had to do."

"And it was."

"So what was it?"

"That gangbanger you beat up," he gave her a pointed stare, having known even back then he couldn't stop her but it would blow back on her, which was why he'd called the gang unit as soon as she'd left to have them give him a heads up on any threats made, "He put a hit out on you."

Hand frozen halfway up her mouth, a kernel of popped corn fell back into the box as she stared wide-eyed at him, "What?"

"Did you really think you could break a gangbanger's nose and not have any blow back," he asked her with surprise, his heart thudding hard when she lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "I just assumed you would take care of it."

He could hear the absolute trust she had on him, could see she truly believed he would always watch her back, "I did…I tracked him down; told him if anyone hurt you, if anything happened to you, I'd blow his brains out."

"You told him that?"

He nodded, finishing the popcorn in his hand, "While I had my gun in his mouth."

"Booth," she let out a shocked gasp, her crystalline blue eyes glittering, "You could have lost your job!"

Chuckling, he took a healthy swallow of his beer, noticing he was almost done with it, "Oh, Bones…there were many times I could have lost my job over you, but that wasn't one of them. Anyway…that's why I was late to the funerals. Your turn."

"There were other times you risked your job for me?"

"Yes," he smirked at her, resting his left foot on the edge of the coffee table as he slouched into the uncomfortable stadium seat, "But I won't tell you because it's your turn to share."

"Oh," sitting back, she stared into space, thinking what she could share that would be equal or better to what she'd just learned, "Well…do you remember the case with the bounty hunter?"

"Yup," finishing his beer, he leaned forward and set it on the table; standing up to head into his small kitchen, quickly removing a beer from his fridge to make sure the rest of his food stayed cool, "the one with the Science Dude."

Her chuckle was soft and husky, her eyes dancing as she watched him return to his seat, "Yes…do you recall me telling you I had planned the perfect murder?"

"I do recall," he responded teasingly, popping the top and tossing it onto the coffee table, watching as she set aside the popcorn box to pick up her beer, which was still halfway full, "I also recall you wouldn't tell me because I was dating a journalist. What was it you said…that I might give it away in a post-coital haze? Because, you know, pre-meditative murder is my preferred topic of pillow talk."

She stared at his smirking face, seeing the teasing light in his chocolate brown eyes. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she tried to guess what his response to her revelation would be without much success, "Well…the reason I didn't tell you was because…I began planning that perfect murder…the day Hannah came to DC."

He stared at her, the shock he was feeling at her revelation not showing on his face as he tried to understand what she was implying through revealing this nugget of information, "Uh…I thought your…plan for the perfect murder was…theoretical."

"It was," she shifted in her seat, letting out a soft sigh as she looked up from the beer bottle in her hands, "I…I didn't handle the insertion of Hannah into our life here in DC very well. I didn't realize it at the time, but it affected my work, my concentration…having her be a physical and tangible part of your life, of our life, was upsetting for me and I didn't see it until the whole theoretical perfect murder solidified in my mind…with Hannah as the victim."

"I must say, Bones," Booth laughed as he shook his head, the sense of awe he was feeling inappropriate considering the current topic of conversation, "I didn't expect that. You seemed so accepting of Hannah, I thought perhaps, the reason you turned me down outside the Hoover was because you didn't feel the way I felt."

"I wanted you to be happy," she gave him a soft smile, peeling at the label of her beer bottle, "I want you to be happy. She was a part of your life and you…you loved her, and I couldn't risk not having you in my life, so it meant accepting her in our lives."

"Wow."

Sucking on the inside of her cheek, she let out another sigh, "Angela didn't like her. In fact, she told me she hated her. I…I did my best to be her friend, but it wasn't easy…she had you…and she took my sunglasses."

A burst of laughter escaped him, his eyes dancing as he stood up and went over to the cupboard where he kept his Scotch, reaching into one of the drawers and turning to face Bones, "These?"

"Yes," she exclaimed in surprise, taking her favorite pair of sunglasses when he handed them to her, "Did she forget them?"

"No," he sat back down, tipping back his beer bottle and finishing the yeasty liquid, "She left them on my coffee table with a note telling me they weren't hers and she had no right to keep them. She didn't say they were yours, though."

She turned them in her hands, setting them on the coffee table. Looking over at him, she rubbed her fingers against the denim of her jeans, letting out a soft sigh before speaking, "Chris and Laura invited me to go skiing with them this weekend…would you like to join us?"

Tipping his beer back, he finished it before setting the bottle on the already cluttered table before them, "Where?"

"Vermont," stretching her legs, she crossed her ankles, tucking her hands between her thighs to warm up her cold fingers, "One of Laura's Air Force friends has a family cabin near the ski slopes, so we'll be staying there."

His eyes moved over her profile, brown eyes filled with tenderness she gave him a shy smile, a hint of pink warming the soft skin of her cheeks, "Is it a big cabin?"

"Uhm, no," she reached up to brush back her bangs, feeling slightly nervous over the arrangements, "There's two bedrooms…but we've shared small spaces before, so it shouldn't be a problem. Should it?"

Clearing his throat, he shook his head, remembering their time undercover for the circus, when they shared the double bed in the mobile home, "Of course not. I take it Chris and Laura are taking the other room?"

"Yes…" fidgeting in her seat, she gave him a teasing grin, "Unless you want to share with Chris. Laura and I can take the other room."

"No way am I sharing a bed with a guy," the affronted look on his handsome face had her laughing, his teasing keeping her gasping for air.

The snow continued to fall outside, blanketing the city in white.

* * *

 _Ski Slopes in Vermont_

Bones laughed as Booth fell for the third time, the sun glinting off her polarized ski goggles, "You should have told me you didn't know how to ski!"

Struggling to his feet while attempting to keep his skis from crossing and tangling him up again, he made sure to send some snow flying her way, "There would have been no reason for me to come if I had told you."

"There's no need for a reason to hang out," grinning, she shifted her weight, the slick surface of the snow under her skis letting her move easily away from the flying snow, "You want to hang out, just tell me."

Finally getting his balance, he worked on replicating her stance, using the poles he held like canes to keep himself upright as he worked at not letting the long skis he stood on from sliding away with him, "What if I want to hang out in the middle of the night?"

"It's not like we haven't done it before," her smile was soft as she moved to the side, letting him get into her space without tangling her skis with his and taking them both down to the cold ground, "Remember those late nights you brought Chinese to my house? When we were working on Deputy Kirby's case?"

"Yeah," he reached out to give her gloved hand a soft squeeze, "I remember, Bones."

Keeping her hand in his, she let out a soft breath as she moved a bit closer to him, "I have a secret to tell you…I should have told you then, but I didn't know how to say it."

Looking down into her face, he swallowed hard, wishing he could see her eyes. Without further thought, he reached up and clumsily, due to the gloves he wore, pushed her goggles off her face, neither caring when they fell to the snow along with her knit cap. Staring up at him, she reached up with her gloved hand to do the same, except she was able to keep them securely in place just above his forehead.

Dipping his head closer to her, he felt himself drowning in her beautiful blue eyes, thinking how similar they were in hue to the icy blue hues of the snow, "So what's the secret?"

Losing herself in his warm chocolate brown eyes, she could feel her heart beating hard against her sternum, her lungs filling up with the scent of him, which made her almost dizzy with a need to bury herself under his skin, "After we found my mother…when we discovered who my parents were…I felt so lost, like I had died too. It was…truly confusing to me to realize I wasn't who I believed to be since long before I could remember. My whole world shifted, Booth…but that day, in the barn –you held me together. I was falling apart, but you held me together…and you told me you knew who I was. You gave me my identity back when I most doubted myself, and…I...I realized, not right then but when I was in the Maluku Islands. That day…you became the center of my life. Your opinions and beliefs became the compass upon which I anchored myself…it was such a gradual thing, I didn't realize it had happened until the day came when I wanted your thoughts on something I was struggling with, but you weren't there."

He stared into her blue eyes as she looked up at him, his heart beating fast at the implications of what she'd shared. Brushing his blunt fingers along the side of her jaw, he lowered his head and touched his nose to hers, his thumb stroking her chin as he whispered, "Bones…"

"Hey, you two! Are you coming or are you planning on standing there and melting the snow?"

"Chris!"

Chris' laughter grated on Booth's nerves as he pulled back, giving Bones a smile before they both turned to face Chris and Laura, grinning as he caught Laura give Chris a good smack in the arm, "You have the worst timing ever."

Booth nodded in agreement, keeping Bones balanced as she leaned down to pick up her cap and goggles from the snow at her feet. Setting his goggles back in place before he reached out to clumsily help her tug the cap down her auburn hair, enjoying the way it shined in the bright winter sunlight, "Alright, Bones, let's go try the bunny slopes. I know you're more experienced than I am, but you'll stick with me, yes?"

"Of course," she grinned at him, settling her googles until they were comfortable in place, "I'll always stick with you."

Chris and Laura waved to them as they headed off to the beginners' slopes, Laura leaning into Chris as she let out a soft sigh, "They're really sweet together. Do you think Temperance realizes Booth is wooing her?"

"I don't think she is at all aware of it," Chris looked down at her, reaching up to tuck a long strawberry blonde curl behind her small ear, "For as smart as she is, she's quite naïve in certain things and romance is one of them. No worries, though. Booth will let her know -when he's ready."

Grinning, she pushed away from him, sliding along the slick snow, "Well, Chris, let's concentrate on you wooing me, yes?"

Laughing, he kept pace beside her, staying far enough not to tangle their skis or poles, "And what exactly can I do today to woo you?"

Tensing up in preparation, she threw a sassy grin at him over her shoulder, "Buy me hot chocolate when I beat you down this slope!"

"Hey!"

He watched her slide away, laughing as he pushed to go after her, keeping a pace or two behind her as he enjoyed the silhouette of her snowsuit clad body, thinking how strange life was when it came to the things that marked the heart.

In a world where everything revolved and time kept marching on, it brought opportunities one thought lost…and he could see those opportunities for himself in Laura, but also in Booth and Temperance.

This time around, he knew Booth would do everything necessary to make sure the opportunity didn't slip though his fingers. He also knew Temperance was open and willing, although scared but it wouldn't be long before those two were together.

In the meantime, it was going to be entertaining to watch them as they moved closer to each other instead of just circling each other.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I contrite for taking so long! Life gets seriously hectic for me in the last two months of every year. I was hoping to finish the chapter and post before the end of 2018, unfortunately, I got sick and that derailed my plans. I'm so excited to be moving closer to getting them together! Please leave reviews (lots of them) and be patient as I have not yet started the next chapter...currently rewatching all those episodes to get my creativity sparked and going!**

 **TURNED UPSIDE DOWN  
BONES**

 **Season 6, Episode 17: The Feet on the Beach**

He looked over at his partner, noting the flushed cheeks and bright eyes, his own twinkling as his smile filled with tenderness, "You really enjoyed yourself out on that body farm, didn't you?"

Bones' lips pulled into a smile so bright, Booth had to look away to be able to concentrate on the road ahead of them, "It's fascinating how much one can learn from simply observing. Did you know there are only six body farms total in the entire United States?"

"I did not know that," Booth grinned as he looked sideways at her, "I'll tell you, though, it wasn't like any field trip I've ever had before."

The husky sound of her laughter made his heart beat faster as he took the exit that would lead them to the main highway straight to DC. Once the arresting officers had shown up at the Hogansburg University to arrest Norman Hayes, he'd rushed Bones out of there as fast as possible, wanting to get away from the stench and downright disgusting sight of decomposing bodies.

"I know it wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience for you, Booth –"

"Are you kidding me," he looked over at her, reaching out to take her small hand in his much larger one, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze, "I enjoyed watching the way your face lit up –especially with the exploding guts…I could have done without the smell, though."

She smirked at the look of disgust on his face, her blue eyes dropping to their clasped hands resting on her thigh. Nibbling on the corner of her mouth, she flexed her fingers until they slid between his, smiling at the way their hands fit perfectly together.

Booth couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face as he drove one handed, keeping his eyes on the road in an effort not to make Bones feel self-conscious and possibly pull away from him.

The long road-trip was filled with easy conversation flowing from one topic to another and, at times, comfortable silence stretching in between, all the while their hands staying connected and resting on her lap, his thumb occasionally brushing the inside of her wrist.

As they approached downtown DC, he looked over at the time to see it was approaching six in the evening. He looked over at Bones, smiling as he felt her thumb gently rubbing his knuckles, "Want to go get a drink at the Founding Fathers?"

She gave him a soft smile, "Yes, but I need to stop at the lab first."

"Alright," he tapped his thumb against the heel of her hand, his smile turning into a grin when she reciprocated, "I'll meet you there in an hour?"

"Yes."

* * *

Booth laughed as he looked over at Bones sitting catty-corner to him at the bar, "Sweets did what?"

"He threw a small bowl at him," Brennan tipped back her beer, grinning as Booth laughed out loud, "Apparently, Sweets thought Dr. Filmore would automatically catch the bowl, thus discovering his arm was once again functional. However, the bowl hit Dr. Filmore right in the forehead, although he did realize his arm was in working order when he rubbed it."

Booth shook his head, his eyes twinkling as he took a sip of his beer, looking over at Bones as she herself took a sip of her own beer, "I'm glad that you apologized to the Canadian," he tipped his beer at his partner, his mouth tilted into a side smile, "I'm proud of you, Bones."

She set her beer down as she looked over at him, "I didn't apologize."

"I thought…"

"The word _apology_ derives from the Ancient Greek _apologia,_ which means "a speech in defense." When I defended what I said to him, you told me that wasn't a real apology."

Pursing his lips, he gave a small nod before looking into her blue eyes, "Why don't you think of a word that means you feel bad for making someone else feel bad?"

Looking off into space for a second, she smiled as she looked back at Booth, "Contrite."

"Ah!"

"From the Latin _contritus_ , meaning 'crushed by a sense of sin.'"

"There. That's it," he nodded as he tapped his finger on the bar's surface, "Contrite. Okay, I'm happy that you contrited to the Canadian."

"Would you like to hear some more things that I feel contrite about?"

Quirking an eyebrow, he gave her a look of hesitation, "There's more?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I feel contrite that I think your socks are silly."

"What," the surprise on his face was evident but she kept going, "Also, I am contrite that I think you are foolhardy in the way you approach your cup of coffee."

Lowering his brows in confusion, he couldn't help but ask, "How do I approach a cup of coffee?"

She gave him a look of incredulity as she explained, "You drink it without checking the temperature, and then you complain all day that your tongue is burned."

He flattened his lips, doing his best not to laugh at the look of utter exasperation on her beautiful face as she continued, "I feel contrite that I…I think that's stupid."

Watching her take a drink of her beer, he couldn't help but tease her as he kept his voice low and serious, "Let's recap, okay. Foolhardy and stupid."

She gave him a look of contrition as she let out a soft breath, "There's more."

Deciding to stop her now before something was said that couldn't be taken back, he kept himself from laughing as he shook his head, "Bones, you don't have to apologize for things that you think."

"Oh!"

"Believe me, if we had to be sorry for every, single thought…"

She tilted her head to the side, "Like what?"

Shaking his head, he swallowed back the chuckle threatening to escape, "Uh, believe me, I'm not gonna fall down that path. You know, I might say something I'm gonna regret later. No way."

A smile blossomed across her face as she pointed at him, "Regret. The word _regret_ derives from the old French _regreter_ –"

"Enough with the vocabulary lesson," he interrupted her, tipping his beer bottle back and finishing the last of the yeasty liquid, "Let's talk about something else."

"I do have a question," she fiddled with the label of her beer bottle, taking in a deep breath as he quirked an eyebrow at her, "Earlier, when I asked why it was important to you for me to apologize to Dr. Filmore, you said you knew what kind of person I am and that I should let other people in on the secret."

"Amazing," his mouth tilted into a side smile, "You remembered that word for word."

"Of course."

"So what's your question?"

Looking into his chocolate brown eyes, she bit her lip, a little shy for wanting to ask but her desire to know overwrote her reticence, "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I don't think, Bones," he reached out to place his hand over hers, which was resting on the surface of the bar, "I know the kind of person you are."

"And what kind of person is that?"

Wrapping his calloused fingers around her soft delicate ones, he slowly drew circles in the center of her palm with his thumb, "The kind of person with a tender and generous heart, so much so you've had to learn to protect it from a world that is cruel and uncaring. The kind of person who can't understand subterfuge and lies because you have a such a beautiful and innocent soul. The kind of person who doesn't know how to hold back because you're so full of passion and conviction, knowing what you want and going after it without hesitation."

She blinked back the tears forming at his beautiful words, unconsciously leaning in closer to him, "That's how you see me?"

Keeping her small hand in his larger one, he lifted it up to his lips as he leaned in closer to her, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles, "Since the moment I laid eyes on you."

She sucked in a breath, her pupils widening as the space between them lessened with every passing second.

"There you are!"

Booth let out a low groan as Bones pulled back, slipping her hand free of his as Chris and Laura came up to them, hands linked between them, "You are seriously getting on my nerves."

Laura gave Booth an apologetic look as Chris chuckled in amusement, "Sorry, we had to find you. We went over to the Jeffersonian and some kid in a suit told us you were probably here, celebrating another case solved."

"That would have been Sweets," Booth said with a laugh as he pushed his bottle aside, "What's so important you went hunting for us?"

Chris and Laura looked at each other, besotted smiles on their faces before they turned back to Booth and Brennan as Chris held up their linked hands, the hanging lights over the bar reflecting off the diamond ring on Laura's left hand, "We're getting married!"

Bones let out a squeal that took Booth by surprise, his eyes wide as he watched her jump off her stool and hug Laura then Chris, his mouth stretching into a grin, "Congratulations, you two."

Laura giggled as Chris let go of his hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, "Thank you. We were too excited to wait until tomorrow, which is why we went looking for you."

"I'm so glad you did," Bones stepped back, giving Chris a wide smile that was returned, "I'm so happy for you, Chris."

Looking into Laura's bright green eyes, he couldn't help himself as he dropped a kiss on her smiling lips before looking back at Brennan, "Thanks, Temperance. Life is too short not to take risks, so I decided to ask her even though I wasn't sure she'd say yes."

"Considering how much I love you, I really couldn't have said anything but yes," Laura teased him, giving his side a gentle poke before turning back to Booth and Brennan, "We are planning on going dancing to celebrate. Would you like to join us?"

Booth looked over at Bones, quirking an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling as she widened hers in response, her full lips tilting into that soft smile he thought of as his. Pulling out his wallet, he paid for their beers and left a hefty tip as they both stood, his eyes swinging over to Chris and Laura, "We would love to celebrate with you."

* * *

The music was slow, the saxophone wailing away as couples danced on the wooden dance floor, the rose-tinted lighting low and helping with the romantic atmosphere of the little jazz club they had found.

Booth held Bones close to his body as they both moved to the flow of the music. He breathed in the scent of her hair, turning his head to rest his nose on the crown of her head as she kept her head on his right shoulder, arm looped around his neck, the other tucked between them as he held her hand against his fast beating heart.

Dancing with her in his arms, something he'd only done once before, was by far the best Booth had ever experienced. Not to be cliched or anything, but he knew he would die a happy man right now. As the song segued into another bluesy slow song, he thought back to the past few months, her soft hair brushing against his growing smile as he realized they were slowly moving towards the center of them.

He knew they would one day happen, but this time around, he refused to rush it…to rush her. He had been so stupid, pushing her when she hadn't been ready, then running off like some sulking little boy to the other side of the world because he didn't get what he wanted. There was no excuse except for his inability to find his footing around his Bones once he'd put himself out there for her and gotten rejected.

He'd been rejected before, what guy hadn't, but he'd never been close friends with a woman he had feelings for, so it hadn't been easy to continue working with Bones and dealing with the aftermath of his stupidity.

Of course, he had to go and make the whole situation worse with Hannah. Now that he'd gotten past most of his anger -at himself, at life, at Sweets, at Hannah -he'd realized Hannah had merely been a side trip in his journey to a forever love. He had let himself be influenced by Sweets, again, and had rushed to make things go his way…again. He was glad, now, Hannah had said no. He couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought perhaps she'd known the truth behind his proposal…he had seen her as his last-ditch effort at achieving his dream of getting married…

Now, though…now that he was so close to getting to have a future with the woman who owned his heart, he knew he had to give up that dream, because she was more than vocal about her stance on marriage.

In the long run, though, he knew giving up that dream for a reality with his Bones would be so much more worth it…


End file.
